Replacement Lamps: Going Green?

The troubled global economy is not the only concern that faces the world today. Global Warming, greenhouse gasses, fuel emissions, and even waste or by-products from products that are used daily are all examples of strains on mother earth. How does the electronics industry, in particular, the replacement lamp section contribute to the awareness of environmental concerns? Re-Cycling.

Many companies have jumped on the big “green” bandwagon by touting a replacement lamp re-cycling program. These programs are said to be a huge success in reducing the damage that discarded replacement lamps create when simply thrown away. A closer look reveals that most of these green initiatives are thinly veiled re-lamping programs.

Projector Lamps do contain mercury in the filament portion of the lamp. An entire industry has come from groups that purchase, or take for free, expended lamps, and then re-lamp and sell them to replacement lamp buyers. On the surface, these programs seem to serve a need and provide a benefit to the lamp consumer. The industrial re-lamping tools needed to safely accomplish the process are extremely expensive. A large number of re-lampers do not have the financial backing to afford the equipment, which puts the customers who buy thier parts at significant risk.

Do the benefits of re-cycling just part of a lamp and putting them back on the market outweigh the obvious risk involved? While it is true that the price difference between a new original equipment lamp and a re-lamped part may be great, the benefit to the environment is marginal at best. Quality, safety and lamp life concerns regarding re-lamped parts have been eased. Still, there are no warranties available for these types of lamps. In fact, placing a re-lamped light source in your projector will in most cases void the warranty for the projector. In all, the financial risk of buying a “green”, re-cycled lamp is surely too much for the savvy consumer.