TOPIC: Mercury in compact fluorescent lights (CFL) and how to dispose of them safely.

Switching to compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) is one of the single most effective steps you can take to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and save money at the same time. Yet CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, a highly toxic element. In their favor, CFLs likely release less mercury into the environment than conventional bulbs that are powered by a coal power plant. [i] Still, the EPA points out "CFLs contain a small amount of mercury and should be disposed of properly, ideally recycled.” [ii]

So how can we recycle them around here? And what should we do if a CFL breaks?

Local Stores Offer CFL Recycling...
Home Depot has just announced it will be offering CFL recycling (7/8/08).

IKEA writes: "Bring your used mercury containing lightbulbs to the IKEA store for free disposal. Since our CFL bulbs contain a small amount of mercury, they should not be simply tossed out. IKEA offers the perfect solution: a ‘Free Take Back’ program offering recycle bins in all IKEA stores."[iii] This IKEA program has received awards for it forward thinking.

MOMs (My Organic Market) in College Park also recycles fluorescent bulbs in a bin on the side of the building (outside). They also recycle plastic bags in a bin out front and batteries in a small bucket near the frozen food. Mom's Recycling Page.

What if a bulb breaks in my home?
Using a CFL releases no mercury and is perfectly safe, however, if a bulb breaks then it is possilble that a very, very small amount of mercury could be released.[iv] (about one-fifth of that found in the average watch battery) [v]. Yet, homeowners should be careful if one breaks. Guidelines: Open windows, use disposable gloves, seal debris in a plastic bag, don't use vacuum cleaners. Here is what the EPA recommends [ii]:

1. Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.

2. Carefully scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a sealed plastic bag.

Use disposable rubber gloves, if available (i.e., do not use bare hands). Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the plastic bag.

Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

3. Place all cleanup materials in a second sealed plastic bag.

Place the first bag in a second sealed plastic bag and put it in the outdoor trash container or in another outdoor protected area for the next normal trash disposal.

Note: some states prohibit such trash disposal and require that broken and unbroken lamps be taken to a local recycling center.

Wash your hands after disposing of the bag.

4. If a fluorescent bulb breaks on a rug or carpet:

First, remove all materials you can without using a vacuum cleaner, following the steps above. Sticky tape (such as duct tape) can be used to pick up small pieces and powder.

If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken, remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister) and put the bag or vacuum debris in two sealed plastic bags in the outdoor trash or protected outdoor location for normal disposal.

Can Our Town Implement a CFL Recycling Bin?
Roberta Rudnick made some great points about having the town (in her case, University Park) recycle CFLs. Here are her comments:

== 1 of 2 ==

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University Park List Serve TOPIC: Mercury in compact fluorescent light bulbs
http://groups.google.com/group/univpark/browse_thread/thread/35839831d9796f71?hl=en
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Date: Fri, Jan 4 2008 2:20 pm
From: Roberta Rudnick
To: Mayor of UP and the UP list serve

There is a looming environmental problem that is not well acknowledged and I'm hoping that our town can be progressive and start a recycling and education program to alleviate at least our contribution to this problem: the mercury contained in compact fluorescent light bulbs.

These light bulbs are significantly more energy efficient than their incandescent counterparts and thus people are being encouraged to use them. Our household converted over more than a year ago. However, what is not well known is that each bulb contains mercury (Hg) --about 5 mg per bulb. Now, while this is a small amount compared, for example, to the old mercury thermometers (which contain ~500 mg of Hg), it adds up very quickly when one considers the very large number of these bulbs that will be disposed of on a regular basis. For example, we currently have two bulbs that burned out within the last few weeks. If this rate is representative of all UP households for a year, that adds up to about 9 grams of Hg being released to our environment each year, just from our small community!

...

When I checked recycling options on the various web sites, it does not appear to be very easy to find a safe place to dispose of them. … The upshot of all of this is that folks simply will not recycle because it's too difficult. That means the bulbs will end up in the trash and the Hg will either end up in the atmosphere (if our trash is incinerated) or seeping into the water table (if our trash is sent to a land fill).

Would it be possible for our Town to take action? The easiest thing to do would simply be to alert our residents of this problem via the Town newsletter and the UP email listserve. But this will have only a small impact if there is no convenient way to dispose of these bulbs. So I would like to propose that the Town set up a recycling depot where people could bring their burned out bulbs at any time. …

Please let me know what you think could be done. It seems like so many "solutions" to our current energy and environmental problems represent one step forward and two steps back!

Roberta Rudnick

== 2 of 2 ==
Date: Fri, Jan 4 2008 4:26 pm
From: "Bridget Warren"

IKEA offers CFL recycling.
http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/about_ikea/social_environmental/environment.html

Of course, for some of us, the challenge will be remembering to take the bulbs with us.

Best, Bridget


== 3 of 3 ==
Date: Sun, Jan 6 2008 6:21 pm
From: Renee Catacalos

My Organic Market in College Park also recycles fluorescent bulbs, in a bin on the side of the building (outside). (They recycle batteries also, in a small bucket near the frozen food.)

Renee Catacalos

CFL Mercury Emissions vs Coal
The EPA says: “Coal-fired power plants are the largest man-made source because mercury that naturally exists in coal is released into the air when coal is burned to make electricity. Coal-fired power generation accounts for roughly 40 percent of the mercury emissions in the U.S. The use of CFLs reduces power demand, which helps reduce mercury emissions from power plants.” [ii] In fact, Energyrace.com estimates that even if a CFL is not properly recycled that it still slightly reduces the total amount of mercury released into the environment compared to a conventional bulb that is powered a coal power plant. [i] Of course, if the CFL is properly recycled then it is a big win for the environment.

Replacing a single incandescent bulb with a CFL will keep a half-ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb. If everyone in the U.S. used energy-efficient lighting, we could retire 90 average size power plants. Saving electricity reduces CO2 emissions, sulfur oxide and high-level nuclear waste. [v]

References:
Original author: Rob Oppenheim - everyone is welcome to make changes!