Recycling Company Launches Nationwide CFL Program

1. Paul Constantineau

   posted on February 29th, 2012 at 2:50 am

   I was an electrical contractor in a northern Ontario city.I have been in many homes and commercial establishment over the past several years.My comment is about cfl's.In most places that I worked on for the past 20 years I have rarely seen anybody who understood enough commen knowledge about cfl's.First of all cfl's early on about 15 years ago became a big cash grab for 2 very large electrical corporations.They knew that the average public wouldn't come close to fully understanding cfl's and there do's and don't's.In my line of work I very rarely found anyone who truly even understood the basic's of them except for the fact that they were told that cfl's would save on there electricity.Did you know that the commercially sold cfl's were develloped and manufactured in Hungary and Germany.These first line of cfl's were manufactured by a much greater standard and quality than the ones you can purchase today.It's the big 2 corporate electrical manufacturers who saw a gold mine by having them finally made in China by the billions at 20% of the cost but also at 80% less quality and durability.O yes these manufacturers put in very small print on the packaging of the do's and don't's but I found that very few people would ever read this info and were only concerned by the fact thatt it would save them money.The bottom line is that the average cfl 's that people purchase first of all are for the most part the cheapest priced ones that they can find.There in is a big problem--1.They don't work good below the freezing temperature. 2. they will last only 6 months to a year in an enclosed. lighting fixture. 3. the light temperature is 34k not good for reading or working. 4.over 90% of the lamps are not brought to a recycling center. 5.The electronic componatry in them has an almost 5% to 10%. failure rate. 6.The cheaper ones have a very thin inner coating on them. harmfull UV radiation exposre. 7.Manufacturer fails to inform people that a typical cfl labelled. 13 watts actually requires almost an extra 2 watts to give you. a 13 watt equivalant light. 8.They should not be used on a dimming system.(I know you. can get the cfl capable of being used with a dimmer but. most people won't pay the extra money for those lamps and. don't understand why. I could continue on and on , but if we really want to make a difference , we should be pushing these 2 greedy corporations to only sell LED'S at an affordable price where we would all gain environmentally and save money.In my personal opinion it was a big mistake to have introduced the cfl and not the LED when it was known by these corporations that the technology was there even before the cfl's.

14 Archived Comments

1. 

   Mary Hafer

   posted on January 23rd, 2009 at 6:01 pm

   Where is a recycling center near us. Sherwood AR 72120

   We also have cardboard boxes (cereal and food)

2. 

   Lori Brown

   posted on January 26th, 2009 at 3:43 pm

   Hi Mary,
   You can recycle CFL bulbs at Home Depot locations in your area. To search for cardboard recyclers in your area (or “Paperboard” in the case of the cereal boxes), visit our “Start Recycling” search at the top of the Earth911 page. Type in “cardboard” and your zip code and the nearest locations to you will be displayed. Good luck and thank you for visiting Earth911.
   Thank you,
   Lori Brown

3. 

   Jessica

   posted on January 28th, 2009 at 10:58 am

   Home Depot will ONLY take COMPACT fluorescents not the tubes (and I hear they limit quantity at times.) We can only hope that in the near future they extend their limited efforts in Product Stewardship to meet the larger demand. IKEA on the other hand will take all fluorescents and does not limit the quantity.

4. 

   Pat Overbey

   posted on January 29th, 2009 at 4:53 am

   I will not use these bulbs because of the mercury & safety issues.

5. 

   Rick

   posted on January 30th, 2009 at 8:17 am

   Will Home Depot take mercury bulbs like those found in rear projection TVs? If not do you know how I dispose of this type of bulb? I recently changed my bulb and don’t know how to properly dispose of it. Thanks.

6. 

   rachel

   posted on January 30th, 2009 at 9:35 am

   As a nurse, there was a big deal made at removing mercury from all thermometers. They even removed the old wall blood pressure cuffs because they had merc
   ury in them. Now we seem to be starting the mercury problem all over again. Slot of people are going to buy these in order to save money. I think the stores as well as the manufacturers should have disclaimers placed on these as well as on the display area. I have a 5 year old son and I’m terrified that if this world doesn’t clean up, their environment and health will be severely sacrificed.

7. 

   Ron

   posted on March 9th, 2009 at 8:43 pm

   I live in a small town and I would like to start a recycling program, I am looking for ideas to get this off the ground, we need this in our community!

8. 

   Dave

   posted on September 15th, 2009 at 7:21 pm

   Why do we continue to manufacture products that are so hazerdous? I think it’s great that we are willing to make the effort to recycle but the chances of CFLs making it to a landfill or just breaking in someones kitchen is too great. Lets all start supporting non hazerdous solutions to our energy problems.

9. 

   Wendell

   posted on September 21st, 2009 at 10:01 am

   Dear All,

   A very large percentage of the electricity in the U.S. is produced from coal.

   Collectively, coal spews more mercury into the environment than all the CFLs
   produced to date.

   By reducing the amount of electricity required for lighting, less coal is burned,
   and thus. less mercury is released into the environment.

   Regards,

   Wendell

10. 

    Jodi

    posted on November 2nd, 2009 at 7:28 am

    Any idea where I can drop off single use batteries to be recycled in Nassau County, New York?

11. 

    Mr. E. Pants

    posted on December 1st, 2009 at 10:21 pm

    @Jodi – Staples will recycle batteries for you. Just take ‘em to the customer service desk – it’s free!

12. 

    Lin

    posted on January 22nd, 2011 at 3:58 am

    I tried to drop off my CFLs at Lowe’s … to be safe.
    and the clerk at Lowe’s told me, they just throw them in the trash, so there was no need for me to bring it to them.

13. 

    noman

    posted on January 24th, 2011 at 10:26 am

    Lin, that’s crazy. The EPA would be very interested in hearing about that (and the DTSC if you’re in California). I know they’re not always the brightest bulbs in the bunch, but I have a hard time believing that a Lowe’s employee would come right out and make a statement like that.

14. 

    Catherine Grinyer

    posted on January 28th, 2011 at 4:32 pm

    Sadly, although there are places that accept spent batteries, they are not recyclable at this time. Use rechargeable.