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Tanning beds could present sun-kissed pores and skin indoors, however they current challenges once they attain the top of their usable life. A posh mixture of supplies and applied sciences that make recycling intricate and important for private well-being and environmental security, tanning beds are a daily supply of questions from Earth911 readers.
Tanning beds are a major instance of the recycling difficulties created when industrial merchandise are designed utilizing many supplies and dangerous elements. Heavy, tough to maneuver, and probably full of mercury and PCBs, tanning beds embrace parts that want particular dealing with to stop environmental contamination and guarantee public well being. Many elements have to be despatched to a hazardous waste facility for protected disposal.
Ultraviolet (UV) Lamps: Central to tanning beds are UV lamps, which regularly comprise mercury—a poisonous metallic hazardous to the well being of people, animals, and aquatic life. Proper handling when transporting fluorescent tubes is crucial to your safety, as mercury can escape into the air when a fluorescent lamp is damaged or leach into soil and water sources when dumped in a landfill.
Several states, together with California, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Washington, require mercury-containing lamps to be recycled. Several ironmongery store chains, akin to Home Depot, True Value, and Lowe’s, supply recycling packages for fluorescent lighting, however not all places will settle for the tubes utilized in tanning beds, so name forward earlier than visiting a retailer together with your used tubes. Search Earth911’s Recycling Locator for native fluorescent tube drop-off places.
Ballasts: The elements that regulate {the electrical} present to the lamps, known as ballasts, could comprise poisonous metals or PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), which require cautious disposal. Specialized recycling facilities or hazardous waste amenities are outfitted to deal with them safely—search Earth911 to search out native balast recycling places.
Typically constructed from metallic and plastic, ballasts may be recycled after hazardous elements are eliminated. Many metal scrap companies can deal with these ballast supplies, eradicating the poisonous parts earlier than processing the metallic for reuse. Likewise, recycling packages usually require ballasts to be faraway from digital merchandise earlier than drop-off.
When No Local Fluorescent & Ballast Recycling Is Available
If no native drop-off choices for can be found, quite a lot of mail-in packages supply protected, paid recycling packages for fluorescent tubes and, in a number of instances, ballasts:
Should You Disassemble An Old Tanning Bed
While it’s technically attainable for homeowners to take aside a tanning mattress for recycling, it isn’t advisable because of the potential hazards:
- Mercury Exposure. Breaking a UV lamp can launch mercury vapor, posing inhalation dangers.
- Electrical Hazards: Improper dealing with {of electrical} elements can result in probably lethal shocks.
So, it’s advisable to seek the advice of professionals or providers skilled in dealing with such tools. Some cities—many in California, the place you’d assume tanning beds weren’t wanted— will choose up previous beds for recycling, some without spending a dime and others asking for a charge. In communities with out pick-up providers, Earth911 recommends contacting GoLoadUp, which guarantees to deal with tanning mattress elements responsibly.
Manufacturer and Retailer Take-Back Programs
At this writing, no producers or retailers supply take-back or recycling packages to facilitate the right disposal of tanning beds. That means the accountability falls to the proprietor, which can make extra people assume twice earlier than shopping for a house tanning mattress.
