Publication: Living Green
The benefits and dangers of CFLs. | |
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LIVING GREEN - Friday, March 14, 2008
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Good morning,
I agree with your information regarding CFLs
saving energy and money. But just what do
we do to dispose of them? They can't go into
regular trash disposal, can they? -Jackie
I receive several emails like this every time I mention
CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs) in Living Green.
While extremely energy efficient CFLs contain very small
amounts of mercury, a dangerous neurotoxin.
I did a little searching and found some information for
you below!
Thanks for reading,
Your Living Green editor
***
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***
The Environmental Protection Agency and some large business,
including Wal-Mart, are aggressively promoting the sale of
compact fluorescent light bulbs as a way to save energy and
fight global warming. They want Americans to buy many millions
of them over the coming years.
But the bulbs contain small amounts of mercury, a neurotoxin,
and the companies and federal government haven't come up with
effective ways to get Americans to recycle them.
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin, and it's especially dangerous
for children and fetuses. Most exposure to mercury comes from
eating fish contaminated with mercury,
Some states, cities and counties have outlawed putting CFL
bulbs in the trash, but in most states the practice is legal.
Pete Keller works for Eco Lights Northwest, the only company
in Washington state that recycles fluorescent lamps. He says
it is illegal to put the bulbs in the trash in some counties
in Washington, but most people still throw them out.
Experts agree that it's not easy for most people to recycle
these bulbs. Even cities that have curbside recycling won't
take the bulbs. So people have to take them to a hazardous-
waste collection day or a special facility.
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency program con-
cedes that not enough has been done to urge people to recycle
CFL bulbs and make it easier for them to do so.
"I share your frustration that there isn't a national infra-
structure for the proper recycling of this product," says
Wendy Reed, who manages EPA's Energy Star program. That pro-
grams gives the compact bulbs its "energy star" seal of ap-
proval.
She says that even though fluorescent bulbs contain mercury,
using them contributes less mercury to the environment than
using regular incandescent bulbs. That's because they use
less electricity — and coal-fired power plants are the biggest
source of mercury emissions in the air.
"The compact fluorescent light bulb is a product people can
use to positively influence the environment to… prevent
mercury emissions as well as greenhouse gas emissions. And
it's something that we can do now — and it's extremely im-
portant that we do do it," Reed says. "And the positive
message is, if you recycle them, if you dispose of them pro-
perly, then they're doing a world of good."
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