How to dispose of Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs Responsibly

By Jamie Silberberger, Women’s Voices for the Earth

Aired on Montana Public Radio May 1, 2008

As Women's Voices for the Earth's mercury campaign organizer I work to eliminate the use of this toxic element in every day products, like fluorescent lights and thermostats. Just the other day I was in a meeting, coincidentally about mercury, and as I looked around I realized there was enough mercury in the fluorescent lights and thermostats in the room to contaminate a 400 acre lake. In order to prevent mercury contained in these products from polluting our state's streams and lakes they most be recycled. In Montana, Women's Voices for the Earth has partnered with the Boston- based Product Stewardship Institute, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and Ace Hardware stores to offer a convenient option for recycling fluorescent lights and thermostats. Starting May 1st, Ace Hardware stores in select cities will begin collecting these products for recycling. The program is a pilot project that will run until December 31st 2008.

One of the most widely used types of fluorescent lighting is the compact fluorescent light bulb or CFL. Another common type is the tube light--the long skinny lights often used in schools and offices. All fluorescent lights contain mercury and, depending on the size and type, some contain more mercury than others. For example, compact fluorescent bulbs contain less than 5 mg of mercury, enough to cover the tip of a ball point pen, while tube lights can contain up to 50 mg of mercury. Because these types of lights contain mercury, they must not be thrown in the trash. Participating Ace Hardware stores in Montana will accept compact fluorescent bulbs and tube lamps up to 4 ft long. This program is only for consumers and is not designed to handle lights from businesses.

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin and direct contact with it should be avoided. Mercury in lights presents a hazard to humans only when broken or disposed of in the garbage where, once it reaches a landfill, it can break and leach into the soil and water supply. By recycling your old fluorescent lights you can help prevent mercury from contaminating our environment. In the unlikely event that a bulb breaks in your home, ventilate and vacate the room for 15 minutes and do not vacuum up the broken pieces. For more information, consult the Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for cleaning up broken bulbs at www.epa.gov/bulbrecycling/.

In the United States, over 290 million compact fluorescent bulbs were sold in 2008. That number is likely to increase with the recent passage of federal legislation that requires standards for lighting efficiency -- effectively phasing out incandescent lightbulbs. It is estimated that only 2% of the 290 million compact fluorescents sold each year are recycled. That means a whole lot of mercury needlessly enters the environment. This is in part due to the severe shortage of recycling options for consumers and weak government regulations on mercury products recycling.

I often get asked the question whether or not it is even worth it to use compact fluorescents, given that they contain mercury. Until a safer, energy efficient alternative bulb becomes viable, the answer is a resounding YES. Mercury used in fluorescent lights produces light far more efficiently than traditional incandescent bulbs. According to the Earth Policy Institute, if everyone in the United States switched to energy efficient compact fluorescents, that act alone would shut down 80 coal-fired power plants. And consider this-the average coal-fired power plant releases 13.6 mg of mercury to power one traditional incandescent bulb but only 3.3 mg to power a compact fluorescent lightbulb. So even though compact fluorescents contain small amounts of mercury, their use significantly reduces the amount of mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Bottom line—the use of compact fluorescents results in less carbon dioxide emissions (otherwise known as greenhouse gases) and less mercury emissions.

To further minimize the environmental impact of using bulbs that contain mercury, choose low mercury fluorescent light bulbs. They can be identified by the green metal caps at the base of the bulbs or from the green etching on the bulbs.

On a national level, we need more programs like the one Women's Voices for the Earth and Product Stewardship Institute have established with Ace Hardware stores in Montana. Expansion of these programs will depend on the support of retailers, manufacturers, utility companies, government agencies and non-profits. In order for the Montana pilot program to continue beyond December 31st, we need the continued support of utility operators, Montana's Department of Environmental Quality and retailers like Ace Hardware. The next time you are in your local Ace Hardware store, thank them for offering such a valuable service and encourage your utility provider and the state of Montana to support long term lamp recycling efforts.

So remember, if you live in Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Hamilton, Helena, Kalispell, Laurel, Missoula, , Polson, Ronan or Whitefish, please recycle your fluorescent lamps and thermostats at your neighborhood Ace Hardware store.

For more information about this program and the health effects of mercury or if you would like a copy of this commentary, visit www.womenandenvironment.org or call 406-543-3747.

This is Jamie Silberberger for Women's Voices for the Earth on behalf of the Alternative Energy Resources Organization. AERO welcomes your comments and perspectives. AERO is a grassroots membership organization working to help create farm, food, and energy solutions for communities throughout Montana. For more information about AERO's programs, call them in Helena at 406-443-7272.