Have you checked out the warning label on energy efficient light bulbs?

Question

We converted to energy efficient light bulbs a couple of years ago, just had one burn out. While I was replacing it I noticed a small white warning label on the new package. These bulbs contain MERCURY folks! MUST be disposed of at an authorized facility, call the 800# on package for instructions. You can't just throw them away or we'll have mercury leaking all over the landfills. I know that there is only a small amount of mercury in each bulb but check out the directions on how to clean up a broken bulb-they recommend the broken pieces be sealed in a zip loc type bag and taken to the proper disposal facility.
Good luck finding somewhere to take them, I called the phone number and got no help, I called several landfills in my area and they can't take them and don't know who can. Admittedly, it may take years to pile up the amount of mercury that will cause a problem so I guess we'll just leave it to our kids to clean up, if they haven't been poisoned by the mercury already.

Answer 1

i dont know if you have one near where you live but all ikea stores collect old CFLs for safe disposal. just drop them in the bins they have in the store.

Answer 2

CFLs have a tiny bit of mercury, it's true.

But that's nothing on how much mercury a coal plant releases. Yes, coal has mercury in it.

You want to use an incandescent bulb instead? OK that's going to use a lot more power and release a lot more mercury into the air (!) than that CFL would release into a landfill. Lawrence Berkeley Lab scientists were involved in CFL design... you bet they thought about the mercury question and they still think CFLs are still a win.

They're absolutely a win on carbon release; they take a lot less power, so far less CO2 is made to power them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_lamp#Environmental_issues

Landfills are reasonably well contained. They know lots of household hazardous waste gets thrown in them, so they separate them from groundwater as best they can. Ask your local landfill what they do.

Besides this panic over CFLs is very new. You can bet that in the next year or two, city recycling programs will get "hip" to people's desire to recycle these bulbs and offer it. Til then, just bag it up and store it.

By the way, there's a study out that says E85 causes cancer. I guess the whole environmental movement is futile, huh? Oh wait, gasoline causes cancer too. And maybe the cancer causing part of E85 is that 15% gasoline that's in it.

The bottom line is you can't panic over every little thing. When in doubt, research it and be scrupulous, don't just stop researching when you find the first interesting answer. Saving the environment will require changes, the changes won't always be perfect, some will have issues. But yet, most will be better, both for the environment and for us.

Answer 3

You are right they do contain a small amount of mercury. But most people have know this for years. I says this because these energy efficient lights bulbs are really called compact florescent bulbs, which leads back to the traditional full sized florescent bulbs. For years people have been told not to just throw away these bulbs, the mercury within them will leak out on the ground then contaminate the ground water. It will not take many of these bulbs leaking mercury into the water to cause a serious problem. I am not saying these bulbs are a bad thing, I have them through out my house but it is important to dispose of them properly. Hopefully more facilities will become available to dispose of these bulbs since they are growing in popularity.

Answer 4

Interesting...I never realized how the "Mad Hatter" in Alice -In -Wonderland got his name..

Mercury poisoning is the ill effects on humans nervous system and other bodily systems due to the over-exposure of mercury. Mercury is a neurotoxin, meaning it affects the nervous system. The "mad hatters" of the 19th century suffered from mercury poisoning which caused personality changes, nervousness, trembling, and even dementia. The hatters were exposed to mercury in the felting process, where mercury was rubbed onto cloth to preserve it.

Today, people are more aware of the dangers of mercury and many of its uses have been discontinued. However, mercury exposure is still an occupational hazard for people in many industries and mercury is present in the environment around us. There is also the risk of exposure due to a thermometer breaking or mercury leaking out of a thermostat or any number of mercury-containing devices. If mercury vapor is inhaled, as much as 80 percent may enter the bloodstream.

Answer 5

Yes, that's the dirty little secret about those "energy efficient" CFL bulbs. Sure, maybe they last a bit longer than a normal bulb, but how many people are going to jump through such hoops to dispose of them properly (and that's IF they know about the mercury in the first place)? We just had everyone swap out their mercury thermometers for a safer kind, and now we're dumping mercury bulbs instead.

Answer 6

yes it is true about mercury,but release of mercury from coal burning power plants is much much much greater.One bulb contain about 5mg of mercury.The old thermometers had 500 mg.So you are doing very good thing by using energy efficient light bulbs.

Answer 7

Check to see where the closest hazardous waste site is. Or speak to your local battery collection place to see where they take their batteries (which would be a hazardous waste site).

Or, go to www.lamprecycle.org and click on “State
Lamp Recycling Regulations & Contacts” to identify local recycling options.

Answer 8

your local fire dept will have info on where the landfill for haz-mat items is. i use led bulbs in my home.

Answer 9

I guess no good deed goes unpunished.

Answer 10

Thats really not a question...