What is drum-top crushing?
Drum-top crushing is done using a mechanical device that fits on top of a 55-gallon collection drum. Whole lamps are broken in the system but components are not separated, and the drum will contain hazardous mercury, phosphor powder, glass and mixed metals. Crushing lamps into drums releases mercury into the filter, which also becomes hazardous. Learn about the results of EPA’s 2006 study on the performance of mercury lamp drum-top crusher (DTC) devices.