subject: Light Bulb Recycling Services [print this page] While more and more people are making the switch from regular incandescent light bulbs to more environmentally friendly compact fluorescent light bulbs, many consumers fail to realize the serious environmental consequences of not disposing of these new light bulbs properly once they have stopped working. In the days of incandescent light bulbs, the only thing that consumers needed to worry about when throwing away their used light bulbs was to ensure that no one would cut themselves on the glass of a broken bulb when taking out the garbage. In the case of compact fluorescent light bulbs, on the other hand, much more care must be taken when disposing of used bulbs. Due to the toxic contents of compact fluorescent light bulbs, it is necessary for consumers to take their bulbs to specialized light bulb recycling services that are dedicated to handling these hazardous materials and remove them from the ecological environment.
Incandescent Light Bulbs vs. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
Unfortunately, many consumers make the mistake of tossing their used compact fluorescent light bulbs into the garbage because that is what they have been doing with their old incandescent light bulbs their whole lives. In order to understand why it is so important to use light bulb recycling services, it is necessary to understand the fundamental differences between incandescent light bulbs and compact fluorescent light bulbs. Incandescent light bulbs produce light through a fairly large electrical charge that runs along a thin filament made of tungsten that produces bright light as it conducts the electricity and gives off heat energy. Unlike compact fluorescent light bulbs, nearly all of the energy consumed by incandescent light bulbs is wasted as heat energy instead of actual light. However, incandescent light bulbs do not contain any toxic chemicals and can be disposed with general household waste without the need of light bulb recycling services.
Compact fluorescent light bulbs, on the other hand, generate light using a much smaller electrical charge and waste considerably less energy in the form of heat. This is a result of energy efficient technology that allows produces visible light using a minimum of electricity. Compact fluorescent light bulbs are filled with a fluorescent gas that produces an ultraviolet light that is invisible to the naked eye when the gas is exposed to an electrical charge. This ultraviolet light is then converted into visible light through the white light that coats the glass of the compact fluorescent light bulb. Although the energy saved by using this technology lowers the green house gas emissions generated by households and businesses, all compact fluorescent light bulbs contain a small amount of mercury vapor that is used to generate ultraviolet light while conducting an electrical charge. While the amount of mercury present in every compact fluorescent light bulb only amounts to one to four milligrams, mercury is such a toxic substance that even these trace amounts of the substance require the bulbs to be disposed of through light bulb recycling services once they have stopped working.
Environmental and Health Hazards of Mercury in Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
If more people realized just how hazardous the mercury contained in compact fluorescent light bulbs really is, it is likely that most people would realize that it is their civic duty to dispose of their used bulbs through light bulb recycling centers. Unlike most of the waste byproducts generated by the average home, mercury is a toxic element that will stay in the ecosystem for centuries to come once it has been released into our environment through irresponsible disposal practices. In recent years, headlines have warned us of the increasing quantities of mercury that are found in wild fish harvested from fisheries in every corner of the globe, and this mercury finds it way into the fish through a complex chain of environmental mechanisms that start at the landfill.
Even consumers who are not concerned with the environment should be aware of the dangerous threat that mercury poisoning presents towards human beings. A person can be poisoned by mercury through either ingesting foods or beverages that are tainted with mercury or by inhaling mercury vapor, such as that which is contained in compact fluorescent light bulbs. Mercury poisoning is a particularly unpleasant condition that causes serious neurological damage and severe skin rashes resulting in the loss of a great deal of skin. The brain damage caused by mercury poisoning can also cause the brain to stop sending the correct signals to the heart and lungs, leading to severe medical complications or death. Dropping off your used compact fluorescent light bulbs will ensure that the this toxic substance is recycled for industrial waste and does not seep into the environment from our national landfills.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency has issued strict warnings concerning the ecological hazards posed by the trace amounts of mercury that is contained in every compact fluorescent light bulb. The federal agency has issued guidelines to consumers, businesses and light bulb manufacturers that make it clear that it is everyone's responsibility to see that as many used compact fluorescent light bulbs make it to the designated light bulb recycling centers as possible. The Environmental Protection agency has taken such a strong stance on the topic of mercury in compact fluorescent light bulbs due to the fact that, while the amount of mercury present in a single one of these light bulbs is minuscule, the impact of the mercury from every single used bulb from every home reaching out into our ecological system could be devastating to the environment.
Finding a Local Light Bulb Recycling Center is Easy
While it is was quite difficult to find a proper facility to dispose of your used compact fluorescent light bulbs a couple of years ago, it is now relatively easy to find a light bulb recycling center in most parts of the country. The first step to finding a light bulb recycling center near you is to visit one of the many directories of these facilities located on the internet. The best web sites have comprehensive information pertaining to nearly every designated light bulb recycling service in the country. Users can locate a facility near them by using their intuitive search that lets you locate local facilities by choosing your city, state and the mile radius in which you are hoping to find a recycling center. Once you find some recycling centers near you, these directories will provide you with everything that you need to know in order to drop off your used bulbs, such as hours of operation, contact information and driving directions.
If you happen not to be able to find a local light bulb recycling center in your area, do not despair. If you live near a regular landfill, you will find that these facilities now how have a dedicated area that will accept used compact fluorescent light bulbs. Ask the attendant at the front gate of the landfill to direct you to the area that is designated for disposing of more toxic forms of consumer waste or, better yet, call ahead and ask ahead before you make the drive.
Although it takes a little bit more effort to dispose of compact fluorescent light bulbs at a recycling center, we owe it future generations and the planet itself to see to it that harmful substances such as mercury are not allowed to contaminate our environment. In closing, here are the top 3 things to bare in mind when it comes to taking the time to drop by light bulb recycling centers when they need to be disposed of:
1. Compact fluorescent light bulbs are much more hazardous than incandescent bulbs.
2. It is essential that the mercury present in compact fluorescent light bulbs is not released into our ecological system.
3. It is now very easy to find light bulb recycling centers near you.
