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 Councilissued 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.

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).