The Handy Blog
Fluorescent lamp disposal
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07/10/2010
Changed a few links around to make them more relevant to the site. Added amazon.com links. Let me know if they are too invasive.
Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
You might not know it, but compact fluorescent bulbs contain mercury. That's right, I said mercury!
Basically, when they are manufacturing fluorescent bulbs they place a few drops into the light and then seal it.
When the light is turned on for the first time it vaporizes the drops. This is how they get the mercury in them.
The reason they do this is because without the mercury, the bulb would not work. The mercury vapor is energized when you turn the light on. This causes it to release ultraviolet energy.
There is a coating on the inside of the glass made of phosphor. When the ultraviolet energy hits the phosphor it causes it to fluoresce sending out light.
Here are a few sources for information on these bulbs and what they contain:
- EPA's site about fluorescent bulbs
- Wikipedia article on compact fluorescent bulbs
- Wikipedia article on regular fluorescent bulbs
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Now, how can you properly dispose of them?
It is not as hard as you might think, but you can't just throw them out! You need to take the old lights to a recycling center. They are all over the United States.
If you are outside of the US then you will have to check more local. I am not sure about outside the US.
Here is a small list of sites that can give you more information on where to find the centers:
More helpful information:
- State Environmental Regulation Agencies List
- Cleaning up mercury spills - EPA.gov
- Identifying mercury lamps and bulbs
- Health Effects of mercury
I hope this was helpful. If there is anything else you would like to see on here about this then let me know!
I am always open to new ideas. Thanks for reading.
--TheHandyBlog.com Team