Mediterranean Tan’s CEO, Andrea Taylor discusses the importance of recycling mercury-containing lamps in your salon.
An avid believer in health promotion with a medical background, Andrea Taylor is passionate about not only removing harmful chemicals from spray tan, but from the environment in general.
The Mediterranean Tan CEO says the beauty industry’s move toward more health conscious ingredients is a step in the right direction, but only the beginning. Taylor’s on a mission to get fellow beauty business owners to join her environmental movement to safely dispose of potentially toxic mercury-containing lamps.
“Mercury-containing lamps are the single largest category of products that contain mercury and a significant percentage of waste mercury-containing lamps end up in landfill each year,” says Taylor.
This month Solaire and Mediterranean Tan were accredited with the Australian government’s seal of approval for FluroCycle, which has recognised their commitment to recycling mercury-containing lamps; as a step toward keeping mercury out of landfill.
The Flurocycle scheme represents Australia’s, if not the world’s best practice in safe recycling management that reduces Solaire and Mediterranean Tan’s impact on the environment, human health, and safety.
What people don’t understand is that when released, mercury rises into the atmosphere and can travel long distances
High levels of mercury in the environment have been shown to be dangerous, and recycling of mercury-containing products is one of the preferred ways to help prevent mercury releases to the environment by keeping these products out of landfills and incinerators.
“The World Health Organisation have listed mercury as one of the top six toxic threats, and is major public health concern,” says Taylor.
“What people don’t understand is that when released, mercury rises into the atmosphere and can travel long distances, contaminating oceans, lakes and soil worldwide. Mercury builds up in the bodies of certain fish which is the reason why pregnant women are told to avoid eating certain seafood’.
Under the Flurocyclea accredited voluntary product stewardship arrangements Solaire and Mediterranean Tan have been authorised to use the government’s product stewardship logo. Like the National Heart Foundation’s ‘Tick of Approval’ or the National Energy Rating labels, the Australian government’s Product Stewardship logo represents the quality of the expected outcomes of any accredited program.
But Taylor says for her it’s not about recognition, it’s about ensuring fellow business owners consider the impact of their environmental decisions on generations to come.
“It takes decades or even centuries for toxic mercury to cycle through the environment. And sadly, Mercury is especially devastating to children. Its damage is irreversible.”