skip to main | skip to sidebar

 Subscribe in a reader

Submissions & tips are highly welcome! Email naturalsurroundings@gmail.com.

Sites I love

  • Aid to Artisans
  • Angry Chicken
  • Apartment Therapy
  • Bits + Bobbins
  • Blog Catalog
  • Blog Search Engine
  • Blogarama
  • Creature Comforts
  • Decor8
  • Design*Sponge
  • Etsy
  • Etsy Love
  • Flickr
  • Freelance Switch
  • Ikea Hacker
  • LifeHacker
  • Mozy (free online backup)
  • Muse
  • Naturally Styled
  • Photojojo
  • Pitchfork
  • Poppy Talk
  • Ready Made
  • Unclutterer

Archive

  • ▼ 2008 (220)
    • ► December (1)
    • ► November (3)
    • ► October (10)
    • ▼ September (54)
      • Japanese Interior Design
      • My Head Spins With Color
      • Do I Have a Color Strategy?
      • Etsy Find
      • Making A Room Feel Larger
      • Trompe L'Oeil Floor Mats
      • Rugs on Rugs
      • The Living Room
      • Etsy Find
      • The Bedroom
      • Color Lingo
      • Bedroom Decorating Ideas
      • Ready Made
      • Color Therapy
      • The Move
      • Color Therapy
      • Wenge Dining Chairs from Overstock.com
      • Adirondack Chair
      • Folding Chairs
      • Landing Strip!
      • I Wish I Had A View!
      • Fabric From Ikea
      • Sleek Chair
      • jefdesigns for Design Public
      • Pretty In Purple
      • VivaTerra Decanter Set
      • Dream Bed
      • Wallpaper On Sale At Anthropologie.com
      • Michael Schaible's Enviable Pad
      • Another Great Bench
      • Sweet Bench!
      • Green Is My Favorite Color!
      • Orange And Yellow Are So Yummy!
      • How Do You Ikea?
      • Urinal In A Home Bathroom?
      • More Crazy Homes
      • Angela Lansbury's Farmhouse
      • Pottery On Etsy
      • Mojito
      • Made With Twine
      • What's That Sound?
      • Personal Favorite
      • Of Pink And Red
      • Somewhere Beyond The Sea
      • Clorox Goes Green
      • Apartment Therapy: Marmoleum Flooring!
      • Painted Cottage Collection
      • Mirrors at Pottery Barn
      • Minty
      • Chandelier Wall Art
      • World Of Good
      • Disposing of CFLs
      • Decoylab
      • Guavarita
    • ► August (24)
    • ► July (12)
    • ► June (92)
    • ► May (24)

Themes

  • color (29)
  • eco alternative (13)
  • Etsy (2)
  • floor (7)
  • outfit inspiration (1)
  • Outfit Inspiration (6)
  • Recipes (8)
decor8

Project Wonderful - Your ad here, right now, for as low as $0.00



Email about link and banner swaps!



Natural Surroundings

Disposing of CFLs


I have light bulbs on the brain. I've been replacing all my bulbs. It's been a slow process because I'm so particular about what sort of wattage and tone I want in every single lamp or fixture. I'm proud to say my photography studio is fully run on a mixture of bright white and day light CLFs, though I'm still constantly tinkering with the color light that is created. Since these bulbs are becoming more common there are more options as far as type of light and even dimmer bulbs (see an earlier post for more info). It occurred to me that where I threw my old light bulbs in the trash that probably isn't what I'm supposed to do with a CLF. I have yet to have one die on me in two years so the issue had not come up! When that day comes, though, I want to follow through with the commitment I'm making to the planet and not just throw them in the trash. I found the following information on disposing of CFLs. I live close to numerous Home Depots so I will probably go there. You can learn more at the Home Depot Eco Options page, which is full of all sorts of useful information for a greener home and about their bulb recycling program.

"Public adoption of CFLs has been slowed by one widely-circulated story of how the Maine Department of Environmental Resources detected mercury contamination following a residential CFL breakage incident, and the homeowner was presented with a US$2,000 estimate from an environmental cleanup firm.

Although initially dismissed as an overreaction, subsequent scientific studies by the Maine DEP and also Brown University in 2008 have confirmed that - contrary to earlier belief - the amount of mercury released by a broken CFL bulb greatly exceeds EPA safety standards.

Spent lamps should be recycled to contain the small amount of mercury in each lamp, in preference to disposal in landfills. Only 3 percent of CFL bulbs are properly disposed of or recycled. In the European Union, CFLs are one of many products subject to the WEEE recycling scheme. The retail price includes an amount to pay for recycling, and manufacturers and importers have an obligation to collect and recycle CFLs. Safe disposal requires storing the bulbs unbroken until they can be processed. In the US, The Home Depot is the first retailer to make CFL recycling options widely available.

Special handling upon breakage is currently not printed on the packaging of household CFL bulbs in many countries. It is important to note that the amount of mercury released by one bulb can exceed U.S. federal guidelines for chronic exposure. Chronic however, implies that the exposure takes place over a long period of time. One time exposure to a trace amount of mercury is unlikely to be harmful. Conventional tubular fluorescent lamps have been used since 1938 with little concern about handling. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends that, in the absence of local guideline, fluorescent bulbs be double-bagged in plastic bags before disposal."
- Wikipedia

Posted by Natural Surroundings on 9/03/2008    

Labels: eco alternative

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Newer Post Older Post Home
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Add to Google Reader or Homepage

Blog Design by Gisele Jaquenod

Work under CC License.

Creative Commons License