There are trace amounts of mercury in a CFL, so the Environmental Protection Agency recommends the following in case of breakage:
Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes.
Carefully scoop up fragments with cardboard or paper and place in a sealable plastic bag. With gloved hands, wipe the area with a damp paper towel or disposable wipe and place in the same plastic bag.
Double bag and place in an outdoor trash can for regular disposal. (Note: some states prohibit throwing out broken CFLs with regular trash. For those in Virginia, check out the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality for state household recycling standards.)
Wash your hands.
You can read more on the EPA Web site.
Increase the environmental benefits of CFLs by recycling old ones. A great resource fore recycling centers is Earth911.org.
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2 comments:
I've heard from a few people now that no CFLs are made in the US. Is that true? The second part of that story is that CFL's are not made in the US because of hazardous waste regulations, so they are all made in China instead - since China lacks such stringent environmental regulations. Can you confirm whether or not this is true and if it is true, then are CFL's really helping us be good stewards of our environment?
It is our understanding that virtually all CFL bulbs are made in China, just like most common incandescent light bulbs are. There are many factors that contribute to where bulbs are made, whether it be the economy, manufacturing stations regulations, and the difference between their government environmental standards and ours. And yes, CFLs are significant stewards in helping our environment as they use significantly less energy and are substantially more efficient (most of the energy needed to power incandescent bulbs is emitted as heat). Dominion (and the EPA) strongly encourages consumers to switch from incandescent to CFL bulbs.
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