How to dispose of a CFL

“Going Green” has become very fashionable, and one of the easiest ways is to replace old incandescent with Compact Florescent light bulbs (CFL).

However when they do burn out, most people don’t know what to do with them. This is because all CFL’s contain mercury, a known toxin, in amounts anywhere from 1 – 5 milligrams.

Since the Canadian Government has pledged to ban the sale all incandescent light bulbs by 2012, that means the question of disposal is becoming very important.

Valda Walsh, Regional Coordinator for Region 6 Solid Waste Management, says for now the CFL light bulbs can be put in the garbage, so long as it’s done with a little more care.

She recommends putting the dead bulb in the cardboard package the new one came in before putting it in the trash. This will help cushion it against breaking, and if it does break will help contain the glass and mercury.

As long as the bulb isn’t broken though, there is no danger of mercury contamination.

If the bulb is broken, Health Canada has a full set of guidelines on how to clean it up at www.hc-sc.gc.ca/index-eng.php. The document is found by typing “cfl” into the search bar on the main page. In the document under “Minimizing your risk” is a full set of instructions for cleaning different surfaces and how to safety dispose of the pieces.

Once at the landfill, the bulb won’t contaminate the ground either. All garbage in Queens Co. goes to the second-generation landfill between Milton and Greenfield. The landfill has a thick lining to collect the leachate, the liquid that drains from the garbage, and is taken to the water treatment plant in Liverpool to be decontaminated.

Walsh says there are other common everyday items that have much more mercury in them, but aren’t given a second thought. For example, watch batteries have far more mercury, as do the shoes that light up as you walk. “It’s more important to be personally aware of your waste,” she says, and conscious about all the products you use.

The guidelines aren’t uniform across the province however. Other Regions have a “bulb eater”, which safely and quickly dismantles the bulbs for recycling. In those areas though the bulbs are considered hazardous waste though, which cannot be picked up at the curb and have to be taken to the disposal site by the individual.

Walsh says they would need to see some public demand for the service before they brought that kind of disposal for all of Region 6.

The province is also looking into a uniform disposal solution, according to Dept. of Environment Communications Advisor Jody Sibley. She says they are taking part in a national working group that is trying to find an easy and environmentally friendly solution for bulb disposal.

nmoase@theadvance.ca