Designating an Accumulation Area

Every business that uses mercury lamps should have a designated universal waste accumulation area. The guidelines for universal waste accumulation areas are less strict than those for hazardous waste areas. When designating an accumulation area, consider the following:

• Designate enough space to hold as many waste mercury lamps as burnout in a one-year period. This may be as little as one or two mail-in boxes, or enough to hold a large quantity of lamps. All waste lamps must be sent to a recycler or other intermediary within one year.
• Store waste lamps away from daily stocking and materials movement. Too much activity around the accumulated lamps increases the chances of waste lamp breakage.
• Store waste lamps away from traffic caused by forklifts and workers carrying large objects.
• Store waste lamps in an area protected from falling objects that could break the waste lamps.
• Store waste lamps in a robust structure (such as a permanently mounted shelf unit) that will not tip or fall.
• Store waste lamps in an area protected from vandalism and public traffic (especially children).
• Post signs in and around the accumulation area that inform people of the presence of mercury-containing lamps. It is also beneficial to post signs that warn against actions that might damage the lamps such as “Do not stack boxes on this rack” or “Handle boxes with care.”

For questions about content, please contact the Regulatory Assistance Officers at (800) 72-TOXIC (800-728-6942) or go to the Regulatory Assistance Office web page.