Bruce Knight of EZ on the Earth, a Greenwood-based subsidiary of Lighting Resources, LLC, has helped change the impact of waste on our environment since he began his career in the hazardous waste industry. He’s worked to keep auto companies from depositing recyclable materials into landfills and now works for an organization that recycles fluorescent lighting, batteries, ballast, electronic scrap, and more.
Knight is ecstatic about recent innovations in waste technology. For example, Lighting Resources now has the capability to recycle the phosphorous powder in lamps to obtain valuable material used to manufacture electronics. Additionally, new outlets have been identified to recycle glass, and a company in Chicago has recently found use for plastic covering some lamps. He is excited about connections like these – repairing holes in the manufacturing and consuming cycles that have damaged our environment.
The Greenwood plant recycles lamps from 20-30 states, breaking down the fluorescent bulbs into aluminum end caps, phosphorus powder, cleaned glass, elemental mercury, and polycarbonate plastic. The facility, like Lighting Resources facilities around the country, features state-of-the-art machinery which greatly diminishes the risk to employees and the environment. They are set apart by their unique ability to recycle mercurycontained in devices like thermostats and they are upgrading their system in February of next year so they can distill the toxic element into consumer friendly products. Even though fluorescent and other lamps are regulated as universal waste by the federal government, most are thrown away. “Our biggest competitor is the dumpster,” Knight says
Behind the Greenwood location’s office is the EZ on the Earth division of Lighting Resources that creates recycling kits for sending out to companies wishing to recycle bulbs, batteries, tritium exit signs, ballasts, and electronic scrap. Each kit is lined to protect from damage and harmful chemicals. Once a kit has been used its components are then recycled or reused and turned into more kits. Companies can have these custom labeled to promote their own name. Even homeowners can utilize the unique service buy purchasing smaller kits for their bulbs and sending them in. The company also sells cardboard kiosks that allow a business to set up a recycling outpost for employees and customers to use.
In addition to the Indiana locations, Lighting Resources operates in California, Texas, Arizona and Florida. The company was started in 1990, and has been under the same ownership since 1996. EZ on the Earth began in 2010 when the need for unique recycling possibilities became evident. For example, out of the 500 million straight lamps sold each year only 160 million are recycled. EZ on the Earth is responsible for 25 million of those recycled lamps, and their business is still expanding.
For more information visit their website at EZontheEarth.com or call 855-EARTH-55.
