How to recycle your CFLs

Minimum mercury
Before you panic, the mercury in CFLs is a small amount (about 5 milligrams) that has been sealed within glass tubing. According to the EPA, this small amount doesn’t pose any major health threat. To put it into perspective: the old fashioned thermometer contains 500 milligrams and the manual thermostat up to 3,000 milligrams -- the equivalent of 100 to 600 CFL bulbs.

Why mercury
Mercury allows CFLs to be an efficient light source and have a longer life. One CFL light bulb can save 2000 times its own weight in greenhouse gas emissions. Unfortunately there is currently no substitute for mercury so it remains an irreplaceable element. Scientists and researchers are working on substitutes but until then CFLs will have mercury.

How to recycle
Most CFL bulbs with the Energy Star logo have a two-year warranty. So if your CFL gives up the ghost before its expiration date bring it back to the store and ask for a replacement. Once it’s time to recycle your CFL, don’t just throw it into your household garbage where it will leak mercury into whatever landfill it lands into. Instead follow these steps:

Place the CFL in a sealed plastic bag.

Check with your local Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Centre to find out if they accept CFLs for drop off. You can also check with your local municipality. If it’s inconvenient to visit your HHW Centre, then simply add the CFL to your batteries and other chemical waste for pick up. Municipalities usually have spring and fall pick-up drives.

Home Depot Canada is offering a national in-store CFL drop off program in all of their 160 stores. Check with Special Services.

Some IKEA stores offer take back programs of used CFLs.

Check with Lamp Recycle to find a recycler in your area. US citizens can also contact Earth 911 to find a recycling facility near them

Broken CFL are dangerous
Like any product with mercury, a broken CFL should be handled with care. No one wants to be exposed to this toxic metal, whether it’s a small dose or not. If you break a CFL light bulb, clean it up safely:

Open nearby windows for 15 minutes or more to release any vapors.

Use disposable rubber gloves. Don’t pick up fragments with your bare hands.

Don’t vacuum or use a broom to sweep up the fragments.

Use a stiff piece of paper or cardboard to carefully sweep the fragments. Place the paper and fragments into a sealed plastic bag.

Wipe the area clean with a damp paper towel and place that towel into the plastic bag along with the fragments.

Dispose of the broken CFL the same way you would used batteries or oils. Don’t throw them into your household garbage.

Another option
If you're unhappy about the idea of CLFs, check out some of the new LED lights -- they are even more energy efficient, last even longer, and have no mercury.

Shelagh McNally is the editor of Green Living Online.