Fluorescent bulb compactor and mercury vapor recovery system

A fluorescent lamp compactor having a drum including a lid and at least two lamp receiving devices, a motored blade to substantially crush a lamp, and a multi-stage filtering system having at least a first filter and a final filter, wherein the improvement comprises:

• an external actuation member in mechanical communication with a bottom door of one of the at least two lamp receiving devices to selectively mechanically activate the bottom door to permit advancement of a lamp to the motored blade to substantially crush the lamp;
• a shroud extending outward from the lid past and generally along the profile of a peripheral rim of the lid such that the shroud is disposable within the drum to encircle the motored blade;
• and
• a vacuum assembly adapted to create a negative pressure vacuum across all stages of the multi-stage filtering system, the vacuum assembly including;
• a vacuum motor positioned after and in operative communication with the final filter of the multi-stage filtering system, wherein the first filter is in operative communication with the drum such that the negative pressure vacuum is created to draw vapors from the substantially crushed lamp at least into the first filter, out the first filter and operatively to the final filter, and out of the final filter to expel substantially clean air out from the vacuum assembly.

A fluorescent lamp compactor having a drum including a lid and a lamp receiving device, a motored blade to substantially crush a lamp, and a multi-stage filtering system having at least a first filter and a final filter, wherein the improvement comprises:

• an external actuation member in mechanically linked with a bottom door of the lamp receiving device to open the bottom door to permit advancement of a lamp to the motored blade to substantially crush the lamp;
• a safety braking mechanism in operative communication with the motored blade, the safety braking mechanism configured to brake the motored blade to a stop more quickly than a freewheeling blade would brake to a stop;
• and
• a vacuum assembly adapted to create a negative pressure vacuum across all stages of the multi-stage filtering system and to expel substantially clean air out from the vacuum assembly.