WasteCap Nebraska spent $14 per bulb to recycle 717 CFLs. Yikes. On top of that, Lincolnites had to pay $0.60 per bulb for the privilege of having it recycled. (In return they received a $0.60 coupon toward a new bulb.)
I am gradually introducing CFLs into the Wilson home. So far results are mixed. I generally don't have a problem with the quality of the light ... once the bulbs actually decide to come to full glow. The heat reduction is a plus, especially in my bedside light where I used to burn my hand now and then. I don't know yet if the bulbs will save us any money because we haven't yet installed them in some of our most-used locations where we would notice energy savings.
Like many people I am worried about the environmental problems the bulbs pose. Yet I am also a lazy bum who has no intention of jumping through hoops to dispose of the bulbs. What are some options?
- Dump the bulbs in the trash. Garbage dumps are already a steaming pile of toxins. What's a little more mercury?
- Discard the bulbs alongside the trash. Local refuse haulers could collect CFLs separately and dispose of them for us.
- Discard the bulbs at purchase points. Any place that sells CFLs could also have bins for discarding old ones.
- Take the bulbs to special recycling locations. Nothing like burning some extra fossil fuels to prevent pollution.
Number 1 is the "pass the problem on to future generations" approach. That approach has historically worked extremely well. I mean, just look at the U.S.'s entitlement programs!
I'm a big fan of #2. I wonder how easy it would be to implement? There would be some minor costs to recover, but I would think a small fee -- perhaps as small as $0.25 per month per customer -- would do the trick. Although disposing of bulbs would be pretty easy, what about broken bulbs? I suspect your friendly local garbage man doesn't wants to be greeted by a small pile of mercury dust while on his daily rounds. On the plus side, I bet compliance would be near-universal, especially over time.
Number 3 wouldn't be too bad. There is a small but manageable cost to the consumer. Compliance would take a hit, but how much?
In my opinion #4 is a complete non-starter. The primary reason is obvious: compliance would be extremely low. We could spend $10 million on educational campaigns and compliance would still be low.
How would you solve the CFL disposal problem in Lincoln?
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See what your friends and neighbors have to say about this.
I guess I’m not very informed about WasteCap. Are they behind the Hazardous Waste Collection Days?
Here’s a link to the city’s page about “Hard to recycle items”. (scroll to Light Bulbs).
Does Home Depot take them back here?
Also, you could mail them, or save them (until there’s a better way), as suggested here. But check out the cost of the mailing kit. Yikes!!
Sidenote: I broke a CFL in my kitchen this weekend. Aaah! Mercury!
You broke a CFL? From what I hear your best move is to burn down your house.
Ha! This was my bf’s response when I did it: “Did you know I have a couple of vials of mercury in the basement?”
Sigh.
Being a fartyhead here. but the extreme right wing who protects big poluting biz loves to stress the whole CFLs are evil because of the silly horror stories from the conservative media.
Mercury = bad, I know. What about all those dead cars with mercury switches and thermometers from days past?
The price paid for this was insane, but advertising is not cheap. I guess it makes sense, but daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn.
I actually put the bulbs in a plastic bag, smash them, and inhale the fumes 😉
You should not have to pay to dispose of them and the coupon is silly as heck.
Set up the recycling boxes and charge nothing. It is something those who give a carp about will do the right thing. The rest will just go into the landfill like batteries and other assorted not earth friendly seeping into our prescription drug filled water anyways.
Why is this even an issue? I thought these bulbs were supposed to last years, if not forever? By the time we actually need to dispose of them, they will have found a solution.
I about yakked when I saw the price of that pilot program. Nice efficiency there. I think it would make sense for people that sell the bulbs to offer a way to return the bulbs, much like Office Depot and Office Max will take your toner cartridges.
Will recycling companies take them with the recycling?
Someone posted on another blog that I frequent that his house nearly burned down this weekend (in his opinion) as a result of a CFL gone bad. He was quite concerned, and thankful he was home. He suggested never to leave one turned on when not home.
I’ve put them into a few lights in my house as others burn out. They seem to do the job fine for me.
He suggested never to leave one turned on when not home.
People who leave light bulbs on when they’re not home deserve to have their house burned down. Curse the evil polluters!
It amazes me how no one seems to care that green movements such as this end up leaving a larger carbon footprint than whatever it was they’re replacing. That high cost of recycling is to pay for something—be it people, trucks, equipment, or other resources to safely dispose of the bulbs. And if someone’s house burns down because of one of these things, doesn’t the supposed environmental benefit go up in smoke? (pun gloriously intended)
I can espouse to the savings ... I changed all of mine out and my LES bill went down 60% in a similar usage month.
The trouble with disposal is a concerning thing to me though.
Disposal is easy:
Wrap in disposable diaper, crush bulb, secure with plastic 6-pack rings, place diaper, rings and bulb in plastic soda bottle, go to land fill. Should be stable for about a million years. Way long enough to avoid a fine.
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