Recycling research on spent fluorescent lamps on the basis of extended producer responsibility in China

Figures & data

Figure 1. Flow chart of the state of SFL recycling management in China.

Table 1. Main experience in SFL management of different regions

Region	Recycling Rate	Main Experience
Germany	Almost 100%	Adequate collection and recycling infrastructure.
Austria	80%	Customers must pay two deposit fees.
United States	23%	A free collection and recycling program financed by producers with insufficient collection points. Distributors and wholesalers establish a reverse distribution system.
Taiwan	80%	Community residents, private collectors and recyclers, and local governments all participate in the recycling program. A fund is established to deal with the collection, disposal, and treatment of SFLs.
China	1%	An EPR approach has not been adopted to manage SFLs.

Table 2. Comparison of three approaches to EPR and the case in China

Mode	Advantages	Disadvantages	The Case in China
OEMT	It makes full use of recycled products and materials. Feedback is assured.	Producers have to bear huge risks.	Some large-scale lamp enterprises in China already have their own demanufacturing facilities and lamp-processing company.
PROT	This mode can save on recycling cost and can be conducive to technology sharing.	As competitors, achieving trust or cooperation between enterprises is difficult.	Until now, such a recycling pattern remains lacking in China.
TPT	Both logistics cost and the risk for producers are the lowest.	It requires an effective transfer of knowledge related to design of the product.	Some other electronic products in China, such as computers, are recycled and disposed by independent dismantling plants.

Figure 2. Proposal: Financial and recycling system.

Table 3. Capacity of recycling–processing enterprises

Parameter	Low Efficiency	General Efficiency	High Efficiency
Crushed lamps/hour^a	3500	3500	3500
Weight equivalent tons/hour^a	1	1	1
Working hours per day	4	8	16
Working days per year	240	240	240
Annual capacity (lamps)	3,360,000	6,720,000	13,440,000
Annual capacity (tons)	960	1920	3840

Note: ^aData from Balcan MPC4000 specification (Balcan, 2013).

Table 4. Costs of SFL recycling–processing enterprises (USD)

		Cases
Project Cost	Details	Low Efficiency	General Efficiency	High Efficiency
Lamp recycling systems MPC4000	Including installation, training, and maintenance	1,248,000	1,248,000	1,248,000
Land and building infrastructure	Medium size	802,500	802,500	802,500
Spare cash of operation	—	481,500	481,500	481,500
Budget aggregates	—	2,535,900	2,535,900	2,535,900
Recycling costs	Recycling costs per ton	1,100	1,100	1,100
(Crecycling)	Recycling costs per year	1,056,000	2,112,000	4,224,000
Transportation costs	Transportation costs per ton	80.25	80.25	80.25
(Ctransportation)	Transportation costs per year	77,040	154,080	308,160
Operating costs	Depreciation per year	62,400	124,800	124,800
(Coperating)	Staffing costs per year^a	58,800	69,336	77,760
	Power consumption of separation equipment per year (10 kWhr)^b	2,490	5,190	9,980
	Power consumption of distillation equipment per year (40 kWhr)^b	1,200	8,012	16,024
	Miscellaneous fees^c	16,000	51,400	102,700
	Spare and accessory parts of the system	8,025	16,050	32,100
	Total operating cost per year (without interest income)	148,915	274,788	363,364
Total cost per year (C)		1,281,955	2,540,868	4,895,524

Notes: ^aThe wage is $722 per month per employee, with 8 working hours a day. It respectively needs 2, 3, and 4 workers, as well as other employees, in the three cases. ^bAfter glass and metal are separated, 1–3% (in weight) of the mercury-containing substance remains. The distillation equipment processes 0.4–0.7 tons of mercury-containing substance each time, consuming 360 kWhr electricity. Power consumption figures listed above are from actual survey data in the operation of lamp recycling systems. The electricity is $0.208/kWhr. ^cThe cost of the raw material is not included.

Table 5. Subsidy rates for SFLs ($/kg)

	Low efficiency	General efficiency	High efficiency
T	1.30	1.35	1.22

Balcan. 2013. Balcan MPC4000 specification. http://www.cfl-lamprecycling.com/library/MP4000_Lamp_Recycling_System.pdf ( accessed June 20, 2013).

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