When They Finally Burn Out: Proper Compact Florescent Disposal

What with the cost of energy and global warming and all, most of us now know the advantages of using CFL lighting - or Compact Florescent Lightbulbs. They use a lot less energy than standard incandescent bulbs, and last much longer. They’re a great way to start minimizing your "carbon footprint".

They're gaining such popularity that there is proposed legislation here in California to ban the use of incandescent bulbs; though it is not at all clear if such legislation will ultimately succeed.

In any case, you've done the right thing; you've replaced your incandescent bulbs with CFL’s. That’s a green thing to do. Congratulations!

But the day will come when even that energy-sipping CFL will burn out. No problem, just go out and get anther one and dispose of the old one like any other light bulb, right?

Not so fast!

CFL’s contain trace amounts of mercury (about 5 milligrams on average). While it’s true that the mercury released in your one little CFL isn’t going to amount to much, multiply that by millions of bulbs and, well, now there’s a problem.

But it’s a problem that is remedied through proper disposal of your spent CFL fixture.

Instead of simply throwing the bulb in the trash, use your local recycling options. If you’re not sure about your local communities recycling program - well, why not?
but that’s an issue for another post –
one option we found is LampRecycling.com. You can create a free account online (we did) to make ordering special containers for shipping your CFL’s, standard tube florescent bulbs, batteries, and other potentially toxic materials to a central recycling station. Now we have to say, even though the kit comes with FedEx shipping pre-paid, these packages aren’t exactly cheap. The smallest kit for tube florescent bulbs starts at $59 and the product line goes up from there.

Look around your local area for a recycling program first. If you have trouble, there’s a list of lamp recyclers throughout Canada and the United State available from LampRecycle.org

If the Bulb Breaks

Finally, let’s quickly discuss what to do should a CFL fixture break. Remember that there is only a tiny amount of mercury in the bulb, so even though precautions should be taken in cleaning up the mess, you aren’t necessarily in serious danger with just one bulb breaking. However, you don’t want to spread that trace mercury all over the house by improper clean-up, so heed these simple steps:

• Take a break
Open a window to ventilate the room and leave for about fifteen minutes to let the air circulate

• Carefully clean up the fragments
Using disposable gloves, sweep the debris onto a stiff piece of cardboard – don’t use a broom
Wipe the area with a disposable towel
Whatever is left over can be picked up using duct tape (or something similar)

• Put it all in a plastic bag and seal it
If you have to throw the bag into the regular outdoor trash (don’t leave the debris indoors), use two plastic bags to seal the contents
Wash you hands when your done.

• When you first use a vacuum cleaner, immediately remove the vacuum bag and seal in a plastic bags
Seal the vacuum bag in two plastic bags, seal, and dispose of in an outdoor trash receptacle.

What a hassle, right? Yeah, kinda. Obviously the best idea is to not break the bulb in the first place. But accidents happen, and when they do, follow these steps to insure proper disposal and cleanup of resulting debris.

For more information about disposal of CFL’s and their proper care, Energy Star has a Fact Sheet available online as a pdf file.

Keep up the good work greenies!

( Add your comments )

Recent Entries:
· Planet 100: Oil Minefield in the Gulf of Mexico
· Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics
· Fake plastic cups make a great conversation starter

[ READER COMMENTS ]

When They Finally Burn Out: Proper Compact Florescent Disposal

Add your comments...

We kindly ask that you keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Abusive or inappropriate comments or comments that are specifically promotional in nature may be removed.