One CFL bulb enough to contaminate 6000 litres of water with mercury

By Saman Indrajith

One CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulb contains mercury enough to contaminate 6,000 litres of water and people continue to dispose them indiscriminately to harm the environment owing either to ignorance or negligence, parliament was told yesterday.

Matara District UNP MP Buddhika Pathirana said the use of CFL bulbs had increased in recent times thanks to their contribution to reduce the electricity bill, but the government had still not introduced a proper method of disposing them.

Responding to a question raised by MP Pathirana, Deputy Minister of Mahaweli Development and Environment Anuradha Jayaratne said Sri Lanka was currently generating around 3,000 tonnes of electronic waste annually.

Jayaratne maintained that around 3,000 tonnes of e-waste was disposed of annually under the E waste management programme of the Central Environmental Authority (CEA). Electronic waste was generated to a considerable extent in Sri Lanka at present and was a threat to the health of the people as other kinds of waste. The e-waste management activities implemented by licensed institutes and national programmes were closely monitored and controlled by the CEA. The CEA issued waste management licenses for e-waste generating institutions and the licenses were renewed annually.

Asked whether any research had been conducted about the chemicals released to the environment by electronic waste, the deputy minister said e-waste had been identified as hazardous waste based on the research conducted worldwide. However, Sri Lanka was still to conduct proper quantitative and socio-economic studies related to e-waste.