Environment advocates urge public: Switch to energy-saving, mercury-free lights

Photo from EcoWaste Facebook post

MANILA, Philippines —In observance of World Consumer Rights Day, environmental and climate protection organizations appealed to shoppers on Wednesday to transition towards utilizing energy-efficient, mercury-free lighting solutions to better support the planet.

EcoWaste Coalition, along with the Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology (CREST) and International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), suggests that people should participate in the worldwide effort to stop using mercury-containing compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) for general lighting by 2025.

To stay in line with World Consumer Rights Day’s theme of “Empowering Consumers through Clean Energy Transitions,” they suggested that customers switch to LED lights that don’t contain mercury if available.

“We enjoin consumers of lighting products from households, schools, offices, hotels, and other establishments to go for mercury-free, highly efficient, and cost-effective LED lights,” said EcoWaste National Coordinator Aileen Lucero in a statement.

“Aside from conserving energy, the switch to LED lights will contribute to reducing mercury pollution that is associated with the mining and use of mercury in the production of fluorescents, and the discharge of hazardous mercury vapors when such lights are broken, improperly recycled or disposed of,” she added.

In March, EcoWaste said, the Minamata Convention on Mercury’s fourth Conference of the Parties (COP4) approved the phase-out, but not linear fluorescent lamps, which might be tackled at the COP5 in November.

It added that the “accelerated transition to LED lights will avoid 754 TWh of energy consumption and result in $105.6 billion energy bill savings from 2025 to 2050,” adding that the move will prevent “34.8 metric tonnes of mercury pollution and 263 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions,” based on a Clean Lighting Coalition data.

According to EcoWaste, consumers should be aware of substandard LED lights that can cause electric shock or fire and should only buy items certified by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). 18-02, series.

“Pick the ones with a valid Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) sticker or the Philippine Standard (PS),” it said.

“Don’t simply throw busted fluorescents into the bin, dump or burn them. The improper disposal of used fluorescent lamps as ordinary trash is exposing waste handlers, informal recyclers, and the public to mercury, a potent neurotoxin,” the group added.

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