Customers are encouraged to bring their used fluorescent lighting to
Wal-Mart stores and Sam’s Clubs on Saturday, June 23
Minneapolis
,
MN
,
June 18, 2007 – On Saturday, June 23, Wal-Mart stores, Supercenters and Sam’s Clubs across Minnesota will host a fluorescent light bulb recycling day. The recycling events will offer consumers a free and convenient opportunity to drop-off and recycle their used compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and fluorescent tubes. The bulbs will be collected at kiosks outside stores from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The CFL recycling events are being conducted in partnership with Waste Management’s WM LampTracker, Inc.
“We are very pleased to see Minnesota’s Wal-Mart stores take a leadership role in both encouraging the use of energy saving fluorescent lighting and providing convenient and proper used bulb disposal for Minnesotans,” said Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Commissioner Brad Moore.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury and should be recycled just like batteries, computers, cell phones, thermostats and other household products. In May 2007, Wal-Mart announced a new standard to ensure that the CFLs sold in its stores and Clubs contain less than 5 mg of mercury, an average reduction of 33 percent (for 13W bulbs). By reducing the amount of mercury placed into each bulb, Wal-Mart and its suppliers are preventing pollution at the source, and helping make CFLs safer and even more environmentally friendly. Wal-Mart is committed to selling efficient and affordable CFLs, and is well on its way in a campaign to sell 100 million bulbs by 2008.
“We always strive to provide our customers with affordable, environmentally friendly products, like energy-saving CFLs,” said Andy Ruben, Wal-Mart vice president of strategy and sustainability. “We want our customers to know that the bulbs sold in our stores are safe to use and that we’ve taken steps to significantly reduce the amount of mercury in our CFLs. Our recycling events are a great way for customers to dispose of their used bulbs and learn more about the environmental and cost-savings benefits of CFLs.”
CFLs are a safe, efficient lighting technology that consumers can use to save money, energy and time in their homes and businesses. In fact, the ENERGYSTAR-qualified CFLs sold in Wal-Mart stores and Sam’s Clubs last an average of five to seven years. Replacing just one conventional light bulb with a CFL can save up to $30 in electric costs, prevent more than 110 pounds of coal from being burned, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 450 pounds over the lifetime of the bulb. With the everyday low prices offered at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club, customers can recoup the cost of a CFL in as little as six months.
“As the largest recycler in North America, Waste Management is proud to be a part of helping consumers recycle CFLs and fluorescent lamps safely. It’s the right thing to do,” said Harry Lamberton, Waste Management’s Upstream vice president. “This project is a great way to share the benefits of WM LampTracker, now enjoyed by our commercial customers, with Wal-Mart’s customers, including our safe and simple method for collecting, storing and shipping bulbs in our uniquely engineered packaging.”
About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart discount stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and Sam’s Club locations in the United States. The Company operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom. The Company’s securities are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WMT. More information about Wal-Mart can be found by visiting
www.walmartfacts.com. Online merchandise sales are available at
www.walmart.com.
About Waste Management, Inc.
Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To find out more about WM LampTracker, visit
www.wmlamptracker.com. More information about how Waste Management Thinks Green® can be found at
www.wm.com/wm/thinkgreen.
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