How to Dispose of CFL Light Bulbs
Submitted by open4energy on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 16:50
CFLs do contain very small amounts of mercury and must be disposed of properly. In fact, it is against California law, as of February 2006, to not do this.
To find your local recycling center, visit the Earth911 website or call 1-800-CLEANUP. Their recycling database includes over 100,000 recycling locations across the country. the information is provided by local governments, industry insiders, organizations and everyday consumers.
You can also call your local garbage collection company, or visit the California Take-It-Back Partnership to learn more about fluorescent lamp recycling and drop-off locations near you.
Please Remember - CFLs provide a 70-80% energy savings.
An incandescent lamp wastes 90% of its energy generating heat. In comparison to using 100-watt incandescent light bulbs, one 27-watt CFL can save 730,000 watts over its lifetime!
This is enough electricity to power an average home for a month! If you are uncertain if this is correct, we tested it in our apartment. Here is our real real apartment use over four days "Incandescent vs. CFL"
It does take a little more effort to use CFL light bulbs responsibly, but it is worth it!
To find your local recycling center, visit the Earth911 website or call 1-800-CLEANUP. Their recycling database includes over 100,000 recycling locations across the country. the information is provided by local governments, industry insiders, organizations and everyday consumers.
You can also call your local garbage collection company, or visit the California Take-It-Back Partnership to learn more about fluorescent lamp recycling and drop-off locations near you.
Please Remember - CFLs provide a 70-80% energy savings.
An incandescent lamp wastes 90% of its energy generating heat. In comparison to using 100-watt incandescent light bulbs, one 27-watt CFL can save 730,000 watts over its lifetime!
This is enough electricity to power an average home for a month! If you are uncertain if this is correct, we tested it in our apartment. Here is our real real apartment use over four days "Incandescent vs. CFL"
It does take a little more effort to use CFL light bulbs responsibly, but it is worth it!
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Mercury in every fluorescent lamp.
Note that all fluorescent lamps contain mercury.
MERCURY - poison in every fluorescent lamp. Used lamps must be disposed of properly; broken lamps require careful cleanup. (The Maine report is especially illuminating.)
See these two sites for detailed information:
Maine Compact Fluorescent Lamp Breakage Study Report
Maine law does not allow fluorescent lamps (aka "bulbs"), including compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), to be disposed of in the trash because they are a health hazard. Used fluorescent lamps must be recycled; in Maine, that is usually done at the place of purchase.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency