How to Dispose of Energy Saving Lightbulbs
Are you sitting comfortably? Then let us begin the story of how to dispose of those new energy saving lightbulbs you splashed out on. I know what you are thinking, that you’re just going to pop it in the bin like those older bulbs. But did you know that those new bulbs contain mercury? Yes, that’s the same mercury as you have heard in the phrase mercury poisoning. And once again I know what you are thinking, that the level of mercury will be too low to cause any concern. Well, you are correct. But you are also wrong.
Don’t be worried, the amount of mercury in a low energy lightbulb is small enough to just cover the tip of a ball point pen. The older fluorescent strip lighting has always contained mercury and nobody has ever complained about that. Also remember those fillings in your teeth have mercury in them and nobody has ever complained about that – well they have but that’s a different story. As long as the bulb doesn’t break and at the end of its life you dispose of it in the location conveyed to you by the retailer – it’s the legal obligation of the lightbulb retailer to provide this information – everything will be OK. Relax.
Yes I can hear you, what if the bulb breaks? Well it’s time to jump into action, evacuate the immediate area, then commence the thorough clean up operation with the disposal not only of the bulb but all cleaning implements used. The precise steps to take in the eventuality of a breakage can be found on a press release from the Health Protection Agency. Here’s what they say;
As a precautionary measure, the HPA advise that the room should be ventilated and the bulb cleaned up and disposed of properly.
The clean up should involve:
- On hard surfaces wipe the area with a damp cloth, place that in the plastic bag and seal it.
- Sticky tape (e.g. duct tape or similar) can be used to pick up small residual pieces or powder from soft furnishings and then placed in a sealed plastic bag.
- The plastic bag doesn’t need to be air tight, but should be reasonably sturdy. Place it in another, similar bag and seal that one as well (again, this minimises cuts from broken glass).
The public should contact the local authority for advice on where to dispose of broken or intact CFLs as they should be treated as hazardous waste.
The HPA have also stated that if a vacuum cleaner is used to clean up the breakage the bag must be removed immediately and also disposed of.
So there you have it, a beginners guide to handling hazardous waste. These new lightbulbs you have invested in are perfectly safe, just don’t break them.