The Environmental Impacts of LEDs
Posted by Aashi Soni on 15th Jul 2022
Sustainability has become a mounting issue in recent years. Therefore, it is more imperative than ever to tackle this problem by switching to greener forms of energy. Luckily, LEDs are eco-friendly without the compromise on performance!
Environmental Effects
The lighting industry accounts for nearly 5% of global carbon emissions, highlighting the urgent need of change within the sector.
LEDs use around 90 per cent less energy than the average household bulb. This means that their overall power consumption is significantly lower than other forms of lighting on the market.
This decreased use in energy means that less has to be produced, which reduces the combustion of raw materials, slowing down the rate of global warming.
If you are looking to minimise your carbon footprint our OMNIPlus B22 6W OMNI-LED Clear Globe Bulb is a good start. LEDs release approximately 451 pounds of CO2 annually compared to a simple incandescent bulb releasing 4,500 pounds-It’s a no brainer!
Effects On the Biotic World
Typical fluorescent bulbs contain about 4 milligrams of mercury (a poisonous metal). This affects marine wildlife due to large volumes being dumped into the ocean, consequently harming our own health. Therefore, a switch to LEDs is more sustainable for both the environment and us.
Even if LEDs go to landfill, they cannot leak out harmful chemicals as they are non-toxic, preventing the degradation of soils.
Furthermore, as a result of the low maintenance needed for LEDs, lighting becomes one less worry in an already stressful time.
The Disposal Process
One of the best things about LEDs is that they are completely safe to recycle and reuse! This means that less waste goes to landfill, many sites of which are expected to become full by 2028-2030.
Since they are non-toxic, they can be discarded with household waste unlike common alternatives like compact florescent lamps that require specialist disposal.
The best option (taking the environment into consideration) would be recycling so that your bulbs can continue to live on and fulfil a different purpose.
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