Wal-Mart to Host Fluorescent Light Recycling Day in Five States
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 06.22.07
We've taken note of Wal-Mart's plan to sell 100 million compact fluorescent light bulbs by the end of this year, and its partnership with manufacturers to lower the mercury content in the energy-efficient bulbs. This week, the company announced yet another initiative related to the swirly bulbs: tomorrow, Wal-Mart stores, Supercenters and Sam's Clubs in California, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Tulsa, Oklahoma will hold a fluorescent light bulb recycling day. Consumers can drop off either CFLs or fluorescent tube bulbs from 8 to 4 at kiosks outside the stores. Wal-Mart is hosting the free bulb take-back with Waste Management’s WM LampTracker, Inc.
This event, and Wal-Mart's other sustainability initiatives, continue to win praise from sustainable business advocates (though, in fairness, groups like Wal-Mart Watch and Wake Up, Wal-Mart have labeled them distractions). In response to the announcement of the take-back event, friend of Treehugger Joel Makower told the Twin Cities' Pioneer Press "This is one part of a larger effort Wal-Mart's been undertaking to show some green leadership, and they have an uncanny knack for green initiatives that really help build sales where they can really combine doing well with doing good."
There's no doubt that even this event will help the company build sales: many people dropping off bulbs for recycling are also likely to browse the stores... maybe for more CFLs. That's OK -- if the world's largest retailer can demonstrate that going green means better business, others are sure to follow. That's one kind of "Wal-Mart effect" we can live with...
We hope this event represents a pilot project by the company, and that this initiative will spread beyond this limited (though, no doubt, still big) test. Wal-Mart's as capable as any entity of showing that the minimal amount of mercury in fluorescent bulbs can be handled safely and effectively, and that consumers shouldn't shy away from these little energy-saving wonders for fear of how to handle CFLs at the end of their useful life. ::TwinCities.com and WalMartFacts.com
This is a great initiative, and more retailers should participate in takeback programs. I'm curious, aren't these bulbs supposed to last 5 years? Have they been around long enough for any to have gone dead already? Maybe they're collecting brokens, but if I understand correctly, the mercury will have already evaporated. Maybe that's trivial - what's important is that Wal-Mart is creating awareness of the need to recycle these bulbs properly and giving consumers an outlet to do just that.
I wonder just why 5 states? They should do it in all states. Especially Texas.
General Reponses:
CFL have been around for a long time. i've been using them for over 10 years.
5 yesrs is the expected life. I've had a number fail in the first few months. The lamps for recessed floodlamps seem especially prone to early failure.
Mercury doesn't evaporate although it can become airborne. If a bulb is broken and carefully cleaned up, most of the mercury may still be in the pieces.
I hope the CFL industry gets some pressure regarding CFL retail packaging. How do those CFLs' petroleum-based "blister-pack" packages compare to the space-efficient, paper-based packaging that's usually used for old incandescent bulbs? Don't neglect the "reduce" idea in "reduce-reuse-recycle"!
Is this bulb really a good idea with the mercury content? All of us reading Tree Hugger are aware of this, but I believe a large portion of people are not...
Quick everyone, get in your suvs and drive as fast as you can to the recycling station! Why not have like a bin for them that you can just deposit them in instead of making a loud statement on the subjecti with special kiosk style collection.
Date line of article is 6.22.07, so should the reader assume that the flourescent drop-off day is Sat. June 23, 2007 ? Perhaps the article should have explicitly stated the date of drop-off ?
Thank you very much !
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.