By Veena Clay March 10, 2015
When it comes to household items, it is hard to find something more common or familiar than a light bulb. However, the light bulb is no longer the common incandescent light source first invented for widespread commercial use by Thomas Edison. It has evolved in ways its creator never could have imagined
For example, a greater variety now fall under the energy efficient label. The most well-known energy efficient bulbs are known as compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). Replacing up to five incandescent light bulbs with CFLs can cut an electricity bill by about $25. Additionally, CLFs are also said to last longer – around 7 to 9 years, assuming 3 hours of use each day.1
It’s estimated that CFLs make up 25 percent of light bulbs used currently in U.S. homes.2 However, CFLs can bring with them a number of safety issues. According to the Underwriters Laboratory, CFLs are not necessarily a fire hazard, but they must be handled with care when they burn out.
This is because part of a CFLs energy efficiency comes from its heavy metal content. CFLs use the power of the element known as mercury to help conserve the amount of electrical energy needed to power the bulb. Mercury is a known toxin, with damaging consequences for the environment as well as human health when disposed of improperly.
Unlike other electronics devices, caution must be taken when a CFL breaks in your home. According to the EPA, handling a broken CFL can lead to serious physical damage such as burns and skin irritation. Even the vapor from mercury is a danger due to its ability to cause coughing and wheezing – even permanent lung damage. For these reasons, the EPA has set out certain guidelines and instructions for handling broken CFLs.
In addition to the mercury, CFL bulbs also contain glass and metal that must receive special attention during recycling. For instance, consumers may be tempted to place CFLs in recycling bins designated for glass. However, the glass of these light bulbs is different from regular glass, and the bulbs also contain a number of metals that must be specially processed during recycling.
Special Components of CFLs
Much like mini-computers, CFLs contain a number of minute electronic parts that can differ vastly from their simpler incandescent counterparts. Incandescents generate light energy by sending an electrical current through a metal filament. CFLs, on the other hand, contain hundreds of electrical components that work with the mercury content.
In fact, each CFL can contain on average 4 to 5 milligrams of mercury, and for older CFLs, mercury content can reach up to 15 milligrams – not much, relatively speaking, but enough to cause physical and environmental harm if mishandled.
Mercury is a naturally occurring earth element that can cause soil, air and water pollution as well as erosion of the ozone layer. One of the biggest sources of mercury vapor pollution currently is coal-burning power plants.
CFLs in landfills can also pose risks. Mercury can leach into soil, contaminating land areas for miles around. It can also find its way to groundwater sources, poisoning water wells and creating health risks for local communities who rely on groundwater sources for drinking water.
Beyond mercury, CFLs contain other hazardous electronic components. Much of these can be found in the circuit board transistors and wiring of CFL parts. Aluminum, zinc and copper amounts can reach eco-toxicity levels that exceed limits set by state law, which has caused a number of states, including California, to label CFL bulbs as hazardous waste.
Still, other states, although quick to recognize that CFLs contain harmful components are less likely to manage their disposal. For instance, New York does not penalize those who choose to trash CFLs rather than recycling them properly.3 Almost all states, however, do encourage proper recycling of CFL bulbs citing the potential risks of pollution due to improper discarding.
The Proper Way to Recycle Today’s Light Bulbs
Although the EPA also encourages the recycling of CFLs, most of the millions of CFL products produced each year are improperly discarded. Yet, recycling CFLs has a number of advantages.
For one thing, recycling CFLs reduces the amount of mercury released into the environment. The average 4 to 5 milligrams of mercury contained in CFLs may not seem like a huge amount, but the cumulative effects of millions of bulbs improperly discarded can and does have a lasting impact on the health and stability of our environment.
Recycling CFLs can also reduce the amount of energy necessary to make new light bulbs. CFL manufacturing can deplete large amounts of precious metal resources. These must be mined from the earth through surface mining, a process that causes even more pollution. Recycling can diminish the effects of such large production needs and increase the amount of resources available overall.
Many of the components of CFLs are reusable. Metal components can be harvested from end-of-life bulbs and reused to reduce energy consumption or be used in the manufacture of other electronic components. The glass and plastic in CFLs can also be reused if harvested properly.
However, the EPA discourages recyclers from engaging in two forms of CFL recycling, drum-top crushing and lamp smashing. These two process do help break down major CFL components but leave others intact. In the case of drum-top crushing, this includes leaving mercury-containing components intact. As a result, the recycling process is somewhat unfinished when such methods are used.4
Ensuring Your CFLs are Properly Recycled
The best way to ensure your CFLs are properly recycled is to rely on a certified recycler that has the ability to safely harvest the mercury they contained. Recycling can safely recover 99.98 percent of the mercury in CFLs, according to LampRecycle.org.
Certified recycling of light bulbs can also ensure remaining components such as glass, plastic and other potentially toxic metals can be harvested and safely reused in ways that protect and sustain our health and the environment.