Comments on: CFL Added to Earth911 Database

By: Arnie Weston

Arnie Weston — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:11:52 +0000

Don’t trust CFL bulb recyclers. How about this health hazard at my local Home Depot — I took photos of smashed bulbs in the CFL recycling bin there. The bin is right next to a pregnant clerk’s cash register, by the way. I calmly spoke to the store manager and was angrily told to leave the store. The CFL recycling bin had no sealable bags in the dispenser. All the bulbs in the bin were already broken when I went to place my wrapped CFL’s in it. This exposes customers and store workers to mercury vapor. I contacted the County Environmental Protection Department and the Home Depot Headquarters. Months later, nothing has changed. The other Home Depot in my area is the same. My CFL’s only last about twice as long as their equivalent standard bulbs. I’m not even saving energy or money. Using a Kill A Watt energy meter, I discovered that because I turn my lights off when I leave a room, CFL’s use more energy than incandescent for short use.

By: Going Green Made Easy « Sustainable Future

Going Green Made Easy « Sustainable Future — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:45:12 +0000

[...] your incandescent light bulbs stop working, replace them with the new, energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) CFLs use 2/3 less energy than [...]

By: jo

jo — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:28:34 +0000

I wish more television networks would publish this info on the safeguards that are needed when a cfl gets broken. It worries me that most people don’ t have a clue on how dangerous they are when broken or improperly disposed of.

By: Sally

Sally — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:47:07 +0000

I am on board with doing as much as possible to recycle, save energy, live healthier but after reading what you need to do if you break a CFL in your home, I decided that I would not buy another CFL until that was solved. I’m convinced that most people throw them away and they are extremely dangerous when broken. The article said that if you break a CFL, you need to open doors and windows, discard any clothing in sealed plastic bags that may get contaminated in the cleanup, keep children and small animals out of the area for hours…it was really eye opening. How many people know this?

By: Pete

Pete — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:34:20 +0000

where is the mercury in the bulb? If the bulb breaks, do we risk releasing the mercury?

By: Jennifer Berry

Jennifer Berry — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:21:15 +0000

Hi Ellen,
Thanks so much for your great catch. We’ve filled in the “holes” above so no one else need discover that hilarious error.
Take care!
Jennifer

By: Ellen

Ellen — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:55:15 +0000

Is something missing in the second sentence?