Energy-saving bulbs, fluorescent tubes and LED bulbs/tubes must be handed in for recycling. In Denmark, almost 800 tonnes of light source waste were collected in 2020. This corresponds to 11,628,819 light sources, based on an average weight of approximately 69 grams.
Energy-saving bulbs and fluorescent tubes contain several different materials, and separating each material type is a complex process. The result of recycling includes new fluorescent tubes, aluminium ingots and mercury.
The energy-saving bulb was invented in 1976 to reduce energy consumption after the oil crisis and as a replacement for the incandescent bulb. However, it was too expensive to produce, so the design was shelved. It was not until the 1990s that energy-saving bulbs became common in Danish homes. When the incandescent bulb was phased out in 2009 and LED bulbs had not yet fully broken through, the use of energy-saving bulbs boomed.
But the era of energy-saving bulbs is now also over. Since 1 September 2021, energy-saving bulbs have been phased out. This means that they may no longer be imported and sold in Denmark. In recent years, energy-saving bulbs have been replaced by LED bulbs.
To achieve the highest recycling value, returned fluorescent tubes and energy-saving bulbs are sorted and treated separately. They must therefore also be separated when they are handed in.
From recycling centres and businesses, the full containers are transported to facilities in Denmark, where the light sources are crushed. The subsequent processing of the used materials cannot be carried out in Denmark. From an environmental perspective, it is therefore important that the light sources take up as little space as possible when transported out of the country.
From Denmark, the crushed fluorescent tubes and energy-saving/LED bulbs are transported to Germany, where the further processing takes place. As this is hazardous waste, the crushed light sources are transported in special sacks, and the transports are always notified to the Danish Environmental Protection Agency.
In total, more than 80% of the materials from a light source are recycled. The remaining parts are either incinerated with energy recovery in mind or deposited as environmentally harmful residues.