Okanagan College
IN-3: Innovation 3

In 2007, Okanagan College purchased a crusher to dispose of burned out Compact Flourescent Light (CFL) tubes and bulbs. This system uses a three stage vacuum system to crush CFLs into fine grained sand and extracts 99.9% of harmful vapors, including mercury. The system processes 1,340 crushed tubes per 50 gallon steel drum, which is then disposed of through a hazardous materials company. The material is then recycled for use in asphalt during road surfacing. The Kelowna campus disposes of tubes and bulbs for all four campus locations. Crushing CFLs has significantly reduced the packing and shipping materials required to safely dispose of burned out bulbs. Removing the mercury prior to disposal and recycling the crushed glass further reduces the environmental impact of intact bulbs. In addition, the program has had a significant community impact. Okanagan College was the first organization in the Okanagan region to implement an environmentally responsible disposal process for CFLs. This has, in turn, inspired the school district and Interior Health to investigate the feasibility of implementing a bulb crushing system. The program has been a successful demonstration of Okanagan College’s strategy to become an environmental steward in the community.