• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.135-158
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• 2015

An efficient management system of mercury-containing waste was designed by reviewing the management and treatment of spent fluorescent lamp in Korea and foreign countries. According to Waste Management Act in Korea, mercury-containing wastes from households are classified as municipal solid wastes even though mercury-containing wastes pose hazardous risks. In general, hence, mercury-containing wastes from households are not being managed properly because those wastes from households were not classified as specific wastes (or hazardous wastes). Some mercury-containing wastes are managed as a mandatory target item in waste charge system and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system under Act on Promotion for Saving and Recycling of Resources. An efficient management plan of mercury-containing wastes can be derived with an improved collection system, designating disposal sites and advanced treatment facilities for spent fluorescent lamps. Finally, the role of each agent involved from collection to disposal of mercury-containing wastes was suggested to establish the efficient management system for mercury-containing waste.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.76-85
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• 2012

Fluorescent lamps generally involve mercury within their lamp bulbs. Thus if the lamps are disposed as they are, it might cause environmental pollution. On the other hand, as the life of the lamps depends on the degradation of the discharge performance, the fluorescent substance composing the fluorescent substance coating can be recycled by reusing them as the recycled fluorescent substance. Also, the glass material composing the glass bulbs can be reused. The range of search was limited in the open patents of USA (US), European Union (EU), Japan (JP), Korea (KR) and SCI journals from 1977 to 2011. Patents and journals were collected using key-words searching and filtered by filtering criteria. The trends of the patents and journals was analyzed by the years, countries, companies, and technologies. Recovery method of metals from spent fluorescent lamps is mainly the focus on the recovery of precious metals using acid treatment and, detoxification technology is related with controlling process of mercury using a filter system.