Recycling CFLs

Brad Hutchison · Post by **Brad Hutchison** » Sun May 18, 2008 4:26 pm

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24694496/

I came upon this article about the rise in popularity of mercury-containing compact fluorescent lightbulbs (380 million sold in the US last year), and the very few recycling centers available for them.

Is there anywhere in Lakewood to drop off spent CFLs?

Bryan Schwegler · Post by **Bryan Schwegler** » Sun May 18, 2008 6:13 pm

The recycling center on Berea rd takes old and broken CFLs.

Brad Hutchison · Post by **Brad Hutchison** » Sun May 18, 2008 6:36 pm

Good to know, thanks Bryan. Any drop-off areas around town that you know of?

Bryan Schwegler · Post by **Bryan Schwegler** » Mon May 19, 2008 9:06 am

Brad Hutchison wrote:Good to know, thanks Bryan. Any drop-off areas around town that you know of?

Not that I know of, I've always taken them there.

Jim DeVito · Post by **Jim DeVito** » Mon May 19, 2008 9:30 am

How old are your bulbs. We started using them about 2 years ago and have since moved and have not had to replace a single one yet!!

Brad Hutchison · Post by **Brad Hutchison** » Mon May 19, 2008 12:39 pm

Same here, I'm not actively looking to recycle bulbs, I just though it was a matter of public interest.

Bryan Schwegler · Post by **Bryan Schwegler** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:27 am

I just readthat Home Depot will announce today that they will begin accepting CFLs for recycling at all of its stores:

http://www6.homedepot.com/ecooptions/st ... ecycle.pdf

So it looks like another location will be available soon. I wish more places would do this.

Here's an interesting snippet from the article:

The Environmental Protection Agency has been looking into putting bulb drop-off boxes at post offices, said Jim Berlow, director of the agencyâ€™s hazardous waste minimization and management division.

Brian Pedaci · Post by **Brian Pedaci** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 11:52 am

That's great. I've got a box of them that have burned out already (the advertisement on these things should say "will last 10 years... unless they don't)

When they do go bad, you'll think the house is about to burn down because they release an acrid burning stench. This is apparently normal and desired behavior.

dl meckes · Post by **dl meckes** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 12:38 pm

We just take them, with old batteries and the like, to the recycling center, which is closer to us than Home Depot (albeit not by much).

Every time we go, Russ Dunn imparts more information about recycling and the different economic factors involved. For instance, we NEVER put cardboard in with paper recycling because the city can sell the cardboard for a much higher price than paper.

Well that, and we just like talking with Russ...

Stan Austin · Post by **Stan Austin** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 2:43 pm

I like the idea of having the Post Office as a drop off point. Then, we'll add junk mail as a drop off item. I know it sounds kind of perverse but there is a certain Zen logic to taking the junk mail back there, don't you think?

Bryan Schwegler · Post by **Bryan Schwegler** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 2:49 pm

dl meckes wrote:We just take them, with old batteries and the like, to the recycling center, which is closer to us than Home Depot (albeit not by much)

I've been taking any of mine there also.

But Home Depot may have more convenient hours and may be easier for people to drop them off. In the end, I'm for whatever will make it easiest for these not to end up in landfills.

Brad Hutchison · Post by **Brad Hutchison** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 11:55 pm

Stan Austin wrote:I like the idea of having the Post Office as a drop off point. Then, we'll add junk mail as a drop off item. I know it sounds kind of perverse but there is a certain Zen logic to taking the junk mail back there, don't you think?

Remember in Seinfeld, when Kramer was stockpiling Pottery Barn catalogues, then he would run and throw them into the store?