Environment

What to do with CFL bulbs

I read on the message board at my local Whole Foods recently that they recycle them if you bring them in to the Customer Service desk, they stated their reason for this as they need to be handled carefully and not simply thrown into a recycling bin as a customer had asked for a bin for their CFLs. Not everyone is near a WF, but this is definitely helpful to us as our local trash center also has the statement that household CFLs should be thrown in with the regular trash and only people with a lot of them (read: Businesses) need to bring them in for hazardous waste disposal. Maybe check with your local green grocer?

Short Term Solution to a Long Term Issue

I've read over and over again that there is no concrete recycling plan in place for these bulbs. And while yes, they are similar to the tube bulbs that have been around for decades, now they're being required in many areas. That means just by sheer volume Mercury is going to start leaching into our water table in massive amounts.

These bulbs are a short term solution to a long term issue. While they may reduce our carbon footprint now, they will be a HUGE problem in terms of health, animals, foods, etc in a very short time.

Similar problem that hybrid cars will have. There is no solid recycling plan for those batteries either. What's going to happen when all those Prius batteries die? I shudder to think.

What To Do With Your CFL Bulbs

You ask a good question, Accusim. Many people aren't aware that compact fluorescent bulbs contain tiny amounts of mercury, which they need to create their light. But it's nothing to be alarmed about. The amount is a single bulb is very, very small, and it simply means that you can't throw it out with your regular trash and must take it to your local household hazardous waste collection site instead. At our house, we just keep our burned-out CFLs in a cardboard box in a safe, out-of-the-way place and take them to our district waste station whenever we have another reason to visit. As long as the bulbs remain unbroken, the mercury can't escape and there's no problem with storing them for until a disposal opportunity presents itself.

Still, people have been worried about breaking them and, as you note, there are stories floating around about a single bulb costing homeowners thousands of dollars to clean up. These are just rumors and there's not a shred of truth to them. I tell people to look at it this way: CFLs are basically the same long fluorescent tube lights people have been using for decades, just in a new shape and smaller size. We've never worried about using or handling these "old-fashioned" fluorescent tubes nor have we ever heard about them requiring expensive clean-ups when broken. Therefore we don't need to be afraid of CFLs either. They're the same technology just in a different package.

Still, if a CFL should break there are things we can do to minimize any contact with the mercury they contain. I wrote an article about safe CFL clean-up recently. You can find it here. If you see a broken bulb in a dumpster, unless it was broken within the last several minutes, chances are it's no longer hazardous. The mercury inside has long since vaporized into the air and been blown away. Not the best thing for the environment, of course, but it means there's no longer any immediate hazard to people in the area.

The bottom line is that we should be careful with CFLs but don't need to worry about them. And we certainly shouldn't stop using them! They're a key ingredient in the recipe for a healthy, low-carbon home.