It’s Earth Day!
The people in charge of Earth Day suggest that one way we can help make a difference in our environment is to replace our incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs.
As more and more people make this switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs, one problem is emerging: how to dispose of them.
Why is this an issue? Because each compact fluorescent light bulb contains a small amount of mercury, a toxic element which must be handled carefully. You can’t just throw these light bulbs into the garbage can when they burn out.
Thankfully, here on the Olympic Peninsula, Public Utility District #3 (PUD 3) is proactively setting up a recycling program for its customers with burned out compact fluorescent light bulbs. PUD 3 has arranged for proper disposal at recycling stations in Shelton and Belfair; in fact, PUD 3 is among the first in the nation to offer this service to its customers.
PUD 3 does ask that people carefully place their burned out compact fluorescent light bulbs carefully in the correct slot, because damaged and broken bulbs cannot be accepted.
Celebrate Earth Day by properly recycling your old, burned-out compact fluorescent bulbs, and you can rest easy, knowing that this toxic waste will be properly handled and disposed of.
April 23rd, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I am less enthusiastic than most about compact fluorescent bulbs. This is due to the fact that the ones currently available contain significant amounts of mercury. If one of these bulbs should break inside of a person’s home, it could cause a challenging disposal situation. It is my belief that the technology should progress to a point at which the mercury levels are low or nonexistent before people changeover their entire homes. Another consideration is that as these bulbs burn out, they will most likely be thrown away as though they are normal rubbish and landfills will have incredibly high levels of mercury in their soil as a result.
May 5th, 2008 at 9:50 am
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