Fluorescent lamps are hazardous materials, as they contain toxic elements, which may lead to environmental contamination. Therefore, assessing potential environmental impacts arising from inadequate lamp disposal is paramount. Studies addressing the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of end-of-life fluorescent lamps are, however, still scarce, and inappropriate lamp disposal remains a matter of concern, especially in developing and underdeveloped countries. In Brazil, fluorescent lamps are still used countrywide and are often inadequately discarded. However, studies assessing fluorescent lamp impacts and potential impact reduction through enhanced recycling are still scarce in the country, despite Brazil's size and high waste generation rates. Furthermore, Brazil's lamp recycling program is a recent measure and still falls short of the country's needs. Thus, this study aimed to assess potential environmental impacts of end-of-life fluorescent lamps in Rio de Janeiro, the second largest capital in Brazil, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time. Potential impact reductions due to higher recycling program adherence considering 5, 20, 80 and 100 % recycling rates were also assessed. The findings indicate that the impact categories most influenced by end-of-life lamps were terrestrial ecotoxicity, human non-carcinogenic toxicity, global warming potential, and fossil resource scarcity. Increased recycling rates, in turn, reduced the environmental impact potential for all evaluated categories, reaching an almost 90 % reduction in most categories when applying a 100 % recycling rate. The current national program target recycling rate of 20 %, however, already contributes to an average impact reduction of over 70 %, comprising a more viable national application rate and already significantly contributing to reduced impacts.
Keywords: Brazil; End-of-life; Environmental impact; LCA; Recycling; fluorescent lamp.
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