How to get rid of a CFL fluorescent light bulb after it burns out

CFL or energy efficient fluorescent light bulbs are all the rage because they save money and energy. A problem with CFL light bulbs has started to emerge because they contain mercury and shouldn't be disposed of the same way a regular light bulb can. CFL light bulbs should not be thrown away in the trash and have be disposed of in a way that will keep them from breaking and releasing mercury into the environment or exposing a human being to mercury.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Carefully remove the burned out CFL light bulb. If the light fixture is over a hard floor surface, use great care to not drop the bulb.

2. Place the bulb in a plastic, seal-able bag immediately. If reusing an older bag, double bag in case the bulb breaks. Put the bagged bulb in a place it will not be in danger of breaking.

3. Find a place to dispose of the bulbs. There are several option on trying to find a disposal venue for the CFL bulb. First, contact your local waste company to see if they have a disposal procedure for the bulb or, contact your local recycling center. Some fire departments will take the bulbs. Call ahead to check before taking the bulbs to the fire department. The less the bulbs are moved around, the less chance they have of breaking. Another place to check is www.earth911.org or call 1-977-EARTH911. If there is an IKEA store near you, they will take the bulbs for proper disposal.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not use CFL bulbs in dimmer fixtures or in table lamps where they may knocked over and cause the bulb to break.
• If a bulb breaks in your home do not attempt to clean up. Remove all people and animals from the area and seal the room. Call your poison control center for instructions on what to do and who to contact for handling mercury.
• Don't let children handle CFL bulbs.

Resources

• Contains links for disposal
• CFL disposal information

[ourlastchance]

on 11/16/2009 Very important tipic about CFL bulbs. Thanks for the great information on how to get rid of a CFL fluorescent light bulb after it burns out. 5*