Commonly referred to as CFLs.
By next summer, 2012, you will not be able to purchase a regular light bulb in Canada. The old standard 60w, 60 cent bulb, a fixture of all canadian households is being replaced by a glass spiral called CFL at a price of $2.80+ ea. up to $8.99 for a 23w CFL. Collection and recycling programs are funded by a 22-cent-per-bulb eco-levy collected by retailers.
When CFLs first came on the market about 4 years ago, I did my own test on the life of CFLs by placing 1 13w Cfl and 2 regular 40w bulbs both turned on by the same light switch in our stairwell. All were new bulbs. I changed the 2, 40w regular bulbs 2 years ago and changed the CFL in February 2011. I expect the 2, 40w to fail shortly, their 2 year lifespan is up. Neither the regular bulb or the CFL lasted as long as the manufacturer claimed. The difference in costs at today’s price, the CFL cost $1.60 more. Did I save that amount in electricity cost? I have to say yes. How much more – I don’t know. Definitely not the $30 over the life of the bulb as the government’s energy hype claims. “Compact fluorescent light bulbs use at least two-thirds less energy than standard incandescent bulbs to provide the same amount of light, and they last up to 10 times longer.”
My concern is diposal of the used bulbs. They are banned from landfills due to the mercury they contain. There is a definite inconvenience in disposal/recycle. Regular recycling depots don’t handle them. They can be taken to London Drugs stores, Rona home stores and Home Depot stores across Canada, but how many will be. Because they are small, most are people will simply discard them in the regular trash hidden by the other garbage. In 2004, when CFLs first came on the market, the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers estimated a residential mercury bulb recycling rate of 2 percent. I hope today we are doing better than that. Over 25%? I doubt it.
In BC Go to www.productcare.org for Drop-Off locations.
What to do if a CFL breaks
From: scientificamerican.com
The problem comes when a bulb breaks. Mercury escapes as vapor that can be inhaled and as a fine powder that can settle into carpet and other textiles. At least one case of mercury poisoning has been linked to fluorescents: A 1987 article in Pediatrics describes a 23-month-old who suffered weight loss and severe rashes after a carton of eight-foot (2.4-meter) tubular bulbs broke in a play area.
Jim Berlow, director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Hazardous Waste Minimization and Management Division, recommends starting by opening the windows and stepping outside. “Any problems at all frequently are handled for the most part by quickly ventilating the room,” he says. “Get all the people and pets out of the room for 15 minutes and let the room air out. If you have a central heating system or an HVAC [heating, ventilating and air-conditioning] system, you don’t want it sucking the fumes around, so shut that down.”
The important thing is not to touch the heavy metal. After airing out the room, the larger pieces of the bulb should be scooped off hard surfaces with stiff paper or cardboard or picked up off carpeted surfaces with gloves to avoid contact. Use sticky tape or duct tape to pick up smaller fragments; then, on hard surfaces, wipe down the area with a damp paper towel or a wet wipe. All materials should be placed in a sealable plastic bag or, even better, in a glass jar with a metal lid.
“If it gets in the jar, that’s pretty good containment,” Berlow states. “We’ve found that the plastic bags actually don’t contain any mercury fumes, so absolutely, if you’ve got the plastic bag, get it outside when you’re done.” Vacuums or brooms should generally be avoided, as they can spread mercury to other parts of the house.
A little scary, isn’t it?!