I recommend a campaign to add a "Don't Trash the Darkness! Recycle This Bulb" label to CFL packages, which I agree need to be improved, too. TCP still sells bulbs by the case with each bulb in an individual PVC blister in an individual paperboard box.

compact florescent light fixtures create artificial light in narrow color bands of high intensity.
they have "holes" in their spectrum which have reduced or non- existant frequencies of electromagnetic energy.
life (your health) requires the full spectrum from the sun .
the cells/ their molecular structure -have evolved with this natural requirement.
these lights will create health problems -mental and physical- the same as is now seen (and often unrecognized) with the long tube type florescent lighting now in place.
they also generate 30khz and up electromagnetic noise from the electronically created hi voltage required for their operation.(the older tube style does this with transformers and its magnetic field)
this buzzzzz will add to the buzzzz created by the rest of the digital electronic smog we have vibrating our molecules/control systems.
this will create mental and physical health problems.
this is great for the drug industry!

incandescent lights emit a fuller more rounded spectrum,closer to the natural composition of light.
it would be smarter to have the powers in power to brainwash us to learn to turn live without our lights .
our bodies would reward us with natural health.
and we would generate less co2!

The pie chart adds up to 110% and that bottom segment is clearly wrong. I wonder how accurate the Toronto Star is about the other facts?

Woah!!! This headline looks like it was written by me! Oh yea, it actually was, in a post I made a while back. In fact, I was berated for being too "hostile". Well, things change I guess.

Bravo, TH. Lay into those whining sad-sacks. :)

I would like to recycle everything. Can I throw them in my recycle pail? I don't think the powers that be are keeping the public informed on all that is new in the business. A little feedback would help. Even from those that might call me names as in the recent Nevada solar comments post. Yuk, Yuk.

I'm all for energy efficiency, and as much as most of us on this site would and do recycle, I'm just wondering how realistic it is to expect people who didn't actively decide to use CFL's, but would only be using them because the govt. basically forced them to, to recyle. I read an article the other day in which the head of the energy star program suggested America does not currently have the recycling infrastructure needed to sustain the type of recycling necessary to make massive bulb recycling work. That troubles me.

Let's say you live out the country. Now let's consider the price of gas and how much gas you are using to get to a recycling center. Does every recycling center take bulbs. No. Is that realistic to expect people to drive sometimes a long way to recycle. No. I am all for recycling. My only point is if we expect everyone to recycle bulbs, and the ban to go through, then there are some real issues that need addressed by our govt. before that is a reasonable or viable solution. I'm not willing to say mercury is not a problem. It is. Energy efficiency is a problem, but we should never support legislation that clearly has developed the infrastructure or consumer education necessary to ensure a clean environment. There are other options ...

I personally want a resolution to the 80% fuel emissions ... but I guess the point is starting somewhere. I just don't see how we are solving problems by focusing on 20% of the problem instead of the more important 80%.

As much as I'm glad the govt is getting a clue on energy efficiency and the environment, I'm not a fan of limiting free choice, even in the market. I don't like the govt. having that much control over consumer choices. The consumer always takes care of what they prefer to buy or see in the market anyway. If we're going to go around banning market products because they are not energy efficient how about all those cars out there causing fossil fuel emissions? How about promoting the govt. promoting and pushing biodeisel? Lighting amounts to 20% of the problem. Gas and oil 80%.

I often feel Americans are just being sidetracked from the real issues.

I love CFL, except for dealing with the mercury in the home and in the waste stream.

Recycling CFL is all great in theory. I have no doubt about the science and process. Unfortunately, there are some human hurdles for this that will make this difficult.

1) Consumer education is lacking. Even when the education happens, participation is still lacking due to apathy. The only way to "fire up" consumers about this is to tout the dangers of mercury exposure in the environment - but then if its THAT bad, why would I want these in my home?!?!

2) The most efficient way of dealing with this is at the retail level. However, retailers don't want to deal with mercury waste. OSHA and occupational liability are things that retailers want to avoid. I'm not saying this can't happen, but it will take government intervention to make this happen.

The solutions to this that I would like to see include...

1) Putting a CFL cash deposit on each bulb sold would be an excellent way to deal with the waste stream issue. If there were a $0.25 tax + $0.75 deposit for each bulb sold, this would ensure that every bulb would eventually come back to the retailer because consumers would want their deposit back. Unfortunately, when the lifespan of a bulb is 5+ years, I don't know how effective this would be.

2) New bulbs should be sold with a self-sealing plastic bag that includes recycling instructions. When the bulb is done, just put it in the bag, peel off the sticky and seal it. If it does break, the mercury is contained. It also identifiies the waste as hazardous waste. If it does make it to the landfill, perhaps the bag will minimize the landfill exposure.

3) Provide self-serve CFL deposit boxes at every volume CFL retailer that have one-way deposit traps that place the bulbs into a sealed storage bin. This could also work in a way similar to the Diaper Genie (if you happen to be familiar with that product). Essentially, bulb would go in, 3 turns of the handle would seal the bulb in a never-ending plastic sleeve, and then you would have a huge mercury-laden string of CFL sausages, ready for recycling.

Tonyia,

If you had 5 annoying people who would not leave your party, and you saw a really easy way to get one to leave right away, would you not take that opportunity rather than sit around trying to figure out one particular way to get all 5 to leave at once?

As for the free market working on its own, that is what got us in this pit of death to begin with. The free market never takes into account very real externalities and long term side effects. Hence the need for government regulation. You must realize this, right?

Now, I am sure that if someone suddenly invents and incandescent which is as efficient as CFLs, they'll be able to obtain a waiver. So far, there is nothing even theoretically on the horizon.

I'll travel to recycle or even mail in my CFL bulbs to be eco-friendly. That part is not a problem for me. The trouble I'm having is the effect it will have on my children directly if it breaks in their room....so I don't use one in their room or mine. I try to use them elsewhere were they cannot be bumped and broken. I have low ceilings so that's difficult. I wish there was a CFL I could use in these rooms that I didn't have to worry about.

Simply take the CFL lamp to your dentist. The ADA website states "The overwhelming weight of scientific evidence supports the safety and efficacy of dental amalgam, and it should continue to be made available to dentists and their patients, the ADA states...."
"Dental amalgam contains elemental mercury combined with other metals such as silver, copper, tin and zinc to form a safe, stable alloy. Dental amalgam has been used for generations to fill decayed teeth that might otherwise have been lost to decay."

Fact is that "dental amalgam" is nearly 50% Mercury. According to one dental website (http://www.perrydentalsolutions.com/faq02.asp) "The silver filling contains Mercury. Nearly 46% of any silver filling is comprised of Mercury. Each silver filling is made from 1000 mg of material, 460 mg of Mercury and 540 mg of a combination of Silver, Tin and Copper."

Yow! 460 mg of Mercury per filling. According to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (nema.org) the average mg of mercury in a CFL is 4 mg.

Simply take 115 CFLs to your dentist next time you need a filling. Dentists are already trained in the safe handling of mercury, as it is considered toxic before it goes in your mouth and if it is removed from your mouth, but amazingly, not white it is IN your mouth.

Want to hug a tree? Hug your dentist instead, and give him a few spent CFLs so he can fill your kid's teeth with toxins. Oh, and he can't tell you they are toxic, due to ADA gag orders, but he just might be able to recycle the mercury safely into your loved-one's teeth and solve this nasty issue once and for all.