Waste Management Launches Innovative Curbside Compact Fluorescent Lamp Recycling Program

HOUSTON, July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE: WM), North America's largest residential recycler, has launched a new program for communities to recycle used compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) in a safe, environmentally responsible manner along with their residential recycling programs.

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Waste Management is launching its curbside CFL recycling program in four communities where it provides residential recycling services: Rolling Hills Estates, CA; Melbourne, FL; Palm Bay City, FL; and Brevard County, FL. Residents will receive a specially designed Mercury VaporLok® container that can safely store up to 12 standard CFLs. When the bag is full, residents can call Waste Management to collect the container through their current curbside pickup service. Waste Management can customize this service based on the needs of each community to ensure the program is intuitive and effective.

"We are always exploring innovative solutions to help our customers integrate recycling into their daily lives," said Rick Cochrane, senior director of WM LampTracker® at Waste Management. "We are looking to implement this curbside CFL service in communities across the country where we provide residential recycling to complement our other residential services while helping residents adopt the use of energy-saving CFLs."

For those communities that do not have Waste Management residential recycling services, residents can recycle their CFLs through Waste Management's ThinkGreenFromHome.com, which provides consumers with a convenient option to recycle their household universal waste directly from their home with confidence it will be handled safely and responsibly.

CFLs use just 25% of the electricity of traditional incandescent bulbs, helping consumers reduce electricity consumption and save on utility bills. Because the devices contain mercury, however, proper handling and disposal of the bulbs is an important safety and environmental consideration. Several states have enacted laws mandating the recycling of CFLs, making convenient disposal options important. With a 2012 deadline for the phasing out of incandescent light bulbs, customers are becoming increasingly aware of the need to properly dispose of household universal waste. Waste Management's program makes recycling this waste as safe and convenient as possible.

This new curbside CFL recycling service complements Waste Management's ongoing universal waste recycling programs. WM LampTracker®, a division of Waste Management, also provides total-care solutions for the storage, handling, transport and recycling of fluorescent lamps for small, medium and large-scale businesses across North America.

These programs contribute to Waste Management's sustainability goals of investing in new technologies to enhance its waste business as well as nearly tripling the amount of recyclables it manages by 2020.

About Waste Management

Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are also the largest residential recycler and a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com.

SOURCE Waste Management, Inc.