Products

Mercury and Product Stewardship

NWPSC Activities and Programs

See the 2008 NWPSC Mercury Subcommittee Issue paper (PDF file, 30KB) to learn more about subcommittee activities and next steps.

King County Take it Back Network King County's Take it Back Network is a partnership among retailers, repair shops, charitable organizations, recyclers and government agencies that provides consumers with safe and convenient recycling options for products that contain hazardous components. The network now accepts fluorescent bulbs and tubes from residents and businesses for a fee. For a list of locations to take your bulbs and tubes visit the King County Take it Back Network Fluorescent Bulb & Tube Recyclers. In September 2008, Bartell Drugs joined the Take it Back Network, offering to collect and recycle CFLs at all of their 56 stores.

Product Stewardship Councils Ask Manufacturers to Provide Take Back Programs for Mercury-containing Fluorescent Lamps The Northwest Product Stewardship Council, the California Product Stewardship Council and the British Columbia Product Stewardship Council issued a joint statement (PDF file, 65KB) on May 8, 2007 calling for manufacturers to finance and provide collection programs for used fluorescent lights that contain mercury. The effort was coordinated by the Product Policy Institute.

The Councils applauded pending California legislation (AB 1109) that would increase the development and use of energy efficient lighting, reduce the toxicity of the bulbs, and require manufacturers to provide take-back recycling services. They called the legislation a model for all states, and the next step in environmental protections. View the press release (PDF file, 42KB).

Product Stewardship Councils Ask Wal-Mart to Take Back CFLs The Northwest Product Stewardship Council, the California Product Stewardship Council and the British Columbia Product Stewardship Council wrote letters to Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott, Jr., supporting the company's goal to sell 100 million compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) during 2007.

The Councils' encouraged Wal-Mart to provide customers with a convenient and cost-effective recycling program for the fluorescent lamps when they burn out. Representatives from the three councils offered to meet with Wal-Mart to discuss the take back programs and offered to work with Wal-Mart and manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, local and state government and consumers to design and implement the program. Wal-Mart has not responded.

View the letters from the Northwest Product Stewardship Council (PDF file, 101KB), the California Product Stewardship Council (PDF file, 28KB) and the British Columbia Product Stewardship Council (PDF file, 21KB) (Canada).

NWPSC Policymakers Bulletin - Mercury: Highly Toxic and Costly Challenge (PDF file, 421KB) This Policymakers' Bulletin explains the problems with products that contain mercury and how local governments in Washington and Oregon are making mercury reduction a top priority.

Cleaning up mercury contamination is a costly problem, this bulletin describes how product stewardship practices in combination with government policy can reduce further cleanup costs by decreasing the amount of future mercury pollution. The bulletin outlines action steps governments can take to influence product stewardship practices and help to clean up and reduce mercury pollution.

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