“Two sets of special equipment for recycling mercury-containing bulbs have been installed at a landfill in the 9th kilometer area in Dushanbe’s Shohmansour district,” Loiq Rahmonzoda, the head of the Department for Environmental Protection at the Dushanbe Administration, told Asia-Plus in an interview. 

According to him, the equipment will promotes safe and efficient recycling of mercury-containing bulbs.

“As before, residents of the city can hand over burnt-out mercury-containing bulbs to the housing departments at the place of residence, and they, in their part, send them for recycling,” Rahmonzoda noted.  

An official ceremony of introducing the equipment for recycling burnt-out mercury-containing bulbs into operation too place on November 14 and at it was noted at the ceremony, the equipment has the capacity of recycling up to 350 mercury-containing bulbs per day.  

Recall, Tajikistan made shift to energy-saving light bulbs in 2009.  On April 24, 2009, President Emomali Rahmon signed a decree requiring nationwide shift to the energy-saving light bulbs beginning on May 1, 2009.

An energy-saving light, also known as a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) or a compact fluorescent lamp, is a type of fluorescent lamp.  Experts say that compared to general service incandescent lamps giving the same amount of visible light, CFLs generally use less power, have a longer rated life, but a higher purchase price. The average rated life of a CFL is between 8 and 15 times that of incandescents.