reVend Recycling unveils world’s first light bulb recycling machine

by Shane Henson — January 4, 2012—Depending on the size of a facility, hundreds of light bulbs and batteries can easily be thrown away each year, as facilities managers have not had a sustainable and easy away to recycle them. Yet this will soon change thanks to reVend Recycling, a U.K. corporation, that recently announced the launch of an innovative reverse vending recycling machine for the collection and recycling of domestic light bulbs and domestic batteries.

The patented reVend reverse vending recycling machine is reportedly the first domestic light bulb reverse vending recycling machine of its type in the world and has been jointly designed and developed by reVend Recycling and Repant ASA, a corporation listed on the Norwegian Stock Exchange.

The company hopes its range of light bulb recycling machines from will help to increase national recycling rates in the U.K. and beyond, and assist companies and organizations in complying with their recycling targets and environmental recycling obligations.

reVend Recycling will sell and market unique reverse vending recycling machines throughout Europe, the USA and worldwide under its brand name reVend.

Repant will manufacture and assemble the recycling machines based on its innovative COSMOS reverse vending recycling machine technology.

Features of the light bulb reverse vending recycling machine include:

• Automated safe collection and recycling of domestic light bulbs, including incandescent bulbs, CFL light bulbs (which contain mercury—a hazardous waste), and LED light bulbs;
  
• Battery Collection unit available as an “add-on” extra;
  
• Unique built-in technology safely recycles light bulbs containing mercury and other hazardous materials;
  
• Automated soft-drop system safely collects and lowers light bulbs into a special collection container, minimizing breakages;
  
• An internal mercury fume extractor and mercury fume filter absorbs and removes any escaped mercury fumes;
  
• It is a “stand alone” machine similar in size to a vending machine;
  
• User automatically receives a reward incentive voucher, which can be used for product discounts and sales incentives;
  
• Staff do not need to touch the potentially harmful recycled light bulbs when removing from the recycling bin;
  
• Unique technology facilitates the compiling of auditable statistics on bulb types by manufacturer and volumes recycled;
  
• User-friendly LED touch screen menu includes option for numerous languages;
  
• Complies with EU and USA environmental and recycling standards.