What is the impact going to be for compact fluorescent light bulbs that are not disposed of properly?

Question

I am going to assume that not every person in North America is going to recycle their CFL's. What affect is this going to have on the environment? Have any of the CLF companies made an attempt to educate their consumers?

Answer 1

Looks like this has been pretty well answered, but here's something to think about--

According to Elizabeth Royte in her book, Garbage Land, the leachate from a regular landfill has a strikingly similar chemical makeup as that of a hazardous waste site. Tossing a CFL in the same bin as your chicken dinner contributes to this, but surely other items do more. Plastics, for instance, contain all kinds of various chemicals to give them color and make them more or less rigid. When they break down, those chemicals are released and can eventually make their way into our groundwater.

Just another reason to properly dispose of your CFLs and everything else you possibly can.

Also, if the government does wind up banning incandescent bulbs, I suggest that they also mandate educational material with every CFL package--kind of like those little Toxic Shock pamphlets, but maybe printed inside the box to reduce paper waste.

PS--has anyone seen the next step in lighting? High Power LED technology is still really expensive ($20 - $50+ depending on light output), but maybe the solution to our lighting problems.

Answer 2

You're absolutely right not everyone will recycle those things.  And what's going to happen in 2012 when government mandates require that we buy CFL's because standard, non-toxic, incandescents will be outlawed?  We're going to have a massive problem of mercury in the water table and cases of mercury poisoning all because we are being forbidden to buy cheaper, non-toxic incandescent light bulbs that have worked well for the last century.  I wish idiots in government would abide by the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."  because then we'd have far fewer problems.

Answer 3

I don't feel they've taken the right steps on educating the populace on how to recycle the bulbs. The best thing to do would be to put instructions, however vague, on the packaging detailing how to go about it.

Instead the ones I get put, in fine print nonetheless, that they need to be disposed of "properly," however you want to translate THAT.

Answer 4

Millions of tons of Mercury will seep into the ground water, make its way to streams, and be intake by the fish.

There will be even higher levels of mercury in these fish, fewer people will eat fish and turn to beef and pork.

Answer 5

I  do eletrical work, I have noticed now for quite awhile that all the cfl's that I use and buy are all the green mercury free type. I am surprised that all you didnt post that. The bad ole goverment mandated that change a long time ago. Now bulbs with A green tip are labled as mercury free and they are safe even with the glass broken. The first of these mercury free cfl's still had the old silver color collar, but then the gov. said they must be green for easier id. So with that in mind, maybe you should think again or pick another subject to riducule the goverment that is working on your behalf and mine! Think before you post, it would make the whole world A better place. Oh yeah and all the boxes I have ever seen all had printed clear as day on the side ,, make sure to recycle. Its always in BIG GREEN LETTERS.