The Stinky Bulb

It sizzled like a firework and finished off with a muffled "pop". Then, it infused the darkened room with a burnt plastic odor. One of my compact fluorescent bulbs just expired, and I'm a little disappointed.

I haven't performed a side-by-side comparison, but I sense I got shortchanged on the promise that the bulb would last 6 to 8 times longer that the standard incandescent bulb. It's not the first time one blew out prematurely, but as an early adopter of the technology, I'm willing to cut the manufacturers some slack. After all, they have not exactly been sitting on their duffs. Since I started using the bulbs three years ago, compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) manufacturers have come out with all sorts of product improvements. Now, CFLs come in many shapes and sizes from candles to flood lights. Some are even dimmable or are 3-way for lamps with three brightness settings. They also come in several warmer colors so you don't look like death under them. You can search through these different kinds at ENERGY STAR's website.

These innovations reflect CFL manufacturers' abilities to respond to customer concerns, except that I still have to deal with my burnt out bulb. I could put it out with the trash, but recycling CFLs is preferred over trashing them because each bulb contains about 5 milligrams of mercury. Mercury is a bioaccumulative neurotoxin that causes birth defects, brain damage, and the severe mental problems that gave Alice in Wonderland's Mad Hatter his name. Mercury-containing bulbs that end up in the trash have a better chance of releasing their mercury to the environment than do bulbs that are sent for recycling, yet most of us still trash them. The Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers estimates that the residential bulb recycling rate in the US is only about 2%. Perhaps this is because recycling CFLs is not as easy as putting them out with your old newspapers for pick up. Mercury is toxic, so in the US mercury-containing bulbs are treated as hazardous or universal waste and require special handling and recycling techniques. Nevertheless, it is still possible for a household to recycle CFLs. Below are some examples of how to do it.

• Plug your zip code in and Earth 911 will tell you where to go to recycle all kinds of household hazardous wastes including CFLs.
  
• The Lamp Recycle website lists companies that handle fluorescent bulbs and has information about state and federal regulations regarding mercury containing bulbs.
• Check your local waste handling facility; they likely have household hazardous waste drop off days. For example, in New York City you can go to one of the self-help special waste drop-off sites. There are five, one for each borough. Kill two birds with one stone and get rid of your old batteries at the same time.
  
• The Northwest Product Stewardship Council is an excellent group that is working with businesses to make recycling CFLs as easy as going to the hardware store to buy a replacement bulb.
  
• Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers is a trade organization that has educational outreach programs for mercury containing bulb recycling. They also have information about recycling by state.
• Buy a CFL recycling kit from a company like LightBulbRecycling.com and mail them your spent bulbs.
• Bring your bulbs to an IKEA store for recycling and consider encouraging Wal-mart to provide the same service.
  

After over a hundred years of incandescents, the penetration of CFLs into the residential lighting market demonstrates that we are willing to accept a product that meets a higher energy efficiency standard, despite a temporary drop in performance. We accepted the new technology, asked for improvement, and manufacturers responded.

Similarly, by recycling CFLs and asking our suppliers to recover the mercury, we acknowledge the downsides of this new technology and encourage innovations that address them. If CFLs end up in the trash, we simply shift the environmental burden to our solid waste.

Related articles:
Red is for fire, earlier post
Lighter footstep, March 1, 2007 by Chris Baskind
The Green Guide, February 21, 2007 by Emily Main
NPR, February 15, 2007 by Elizabeth Shogren
Northwest Energy News, January 31, 2007 by Vicki Fulbright Calwell