Oct 14, 2007 11:37 pm US/Eastern
Enviro-Friendly Bulbs Require Proper Disposal
by Mish Michaels
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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CFL uses about a third of the electricity of a regular bulb and can last up to 10 years.
AP
They're bright lights with a dark secret. Those popular compact fluorescent light bulbs are good for the environment, but they need to be disposed of very carefully.
It was simple for Gina Snyder of Reading to cut her energy bills and reduce pollution -- she swapped her old light bulbs for compact fluorescents. "It saves energy, and that way we don't have to build more power plants in New England."
And that's a good thing. Not only does that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but coal fired power plants are the largest source of mercury in our environment. That mercury can end up in the water and work its way through the food chain -- going from fish to us.
"Mercury, in general, is a problem its a neurotoxin," explains Cindy Lupi of the Clean Water Action.
So here's the problem. People are switching to these types of light bulbs to reduce the electricity they use, although that does help the environment. What most people don't realize is that each one of these bulbs actually contains mercury -- a toxin not found in regular light bulbs.
There are five milligrams of mercury on average per bulb. Despite that, Lupi says consumers should still make the switch to CFL's. "Mercury in compact fluorescents light bulbs is actually a much smaller scale, and people using energy efficient light bulbs is actually a good thing."
But to make that argument work, consumers have to dispose of these bulbs properly. They can't just end up in the trash.
Well they don't at Ikea. They are the only major retailer which has a recycling program for old bulbs. Frank Briel is the manager at the Stoughton store. "I think we have a responsibility that if we sell a product that has environmental issues that we should offer a way to recycle it also."
A CFL uses about a third of the electricity of a regular bulb and can last up to 10 years. Gina is sold on that concept. "This is the easiest and most incredible thing that a person can do to cut back on energy use and prevent climate change."
You just have to do it right.
Research is being done to create mercury free CFL's, but that they are not expected on the market for at least five years.
For more information on how to properly dispose of these bulbs, you can check with your town's public works department, or visit the following links:
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www.LampRecycle.org--
www.Earth911.org--
You can also call 1-877- Earth911
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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