Disposing of CFLs

While compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are great when it comes to saving energy, they do contain a small amount of mercury and need to be disposed of safely. Here's some tips for disposing of CFLs without trashing the environment:

1. Check to see if your current garbage service recycles CFLs.
2. Retail stores like IKEA and Home Depot offer a free CFL take-back program.
3. Check to find local recycling at Earth911.org

If you want to avoid the mercury in CFLs check out LED light bulbs. LED light bulbs are shatterproof, run cool to the touch, and contain no mercury or hazardous substances and while they will last longer than CFLs they are currently much more expensive starting at $25 a bulb. Hopefully as the technology improves on LEDs the price will decrease.

Saving the planet one bulb at a time...

Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) are great: they use very little energy, give off very little waste heat, and last for years. Compared to a standard incandescent bulb, a CFL uses 60% less energy, saves on the production of 150-300 lbs. of carbon dioxide a year, cuts lighting costs by 75% and lasts at least 8x longer per bulb. With incandescent bulbs, 95% of the power used to light them is wasted as heat. If every US family switched to CFL bulbs we would reduce the carbon dioxide produced by more than 90 billion pounds. Unlike when CFLs first appeared on the scene, they are now widely available and are reasonably priced. A lot of concerns have come up recently regarding the mercury found in CFLs. Like all fluorescents, CFLs contain mercury and shouldn't be tossed in the trash when their day is done. Some stores, such as IKEA have recycling programs. Need to find out where in your community you can recycle your used CFLs check out www.earth911.org