As a public service, offered for my readers.
Cleaning up broken incandescent bulbs: Sweep up the broken glass. Throw the broken glass away. Be careful - broken glass is sharp.
Cleaning up broken Compact Fluorescent bulbs: Read the instructions from the EPA. Don't forget to read all three pages. Remember, CFL bulbs contain mercury, so if you're going to break any, remove them from your children's rooms before breaking.
Maybe we can send all our broken CFL bulbs to the members of Congress who voted to ban the perfectly good incandescent ones. That way, they won't pollute the landfills.
"How to dispose of a CFL when it has burnt out"
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WHAT IS THIS CRAP?!?! TLDNR. Into the trash can you go, little spiral of glass! Send my regards to Mother Earth!
A cousin of my wife used to eat a bulb on a dare.
ReplyDeleteGo to the dollar store and begin storage of real light bulbs. The kind that if broken off in the socket, all you need is 1/2 of a potato (cut)place on broken base in fixture, press and turn and unscrew the old broken piece which means you never get cut.
ReplyDeleteI don't like new bulb color it omits, same as those ugly blue headlights on cars.
Good idea! Send them unbroken by USPS. See how many arrive at Congress unmolested.
ReplyDelete"Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister) and seal the bag/vacuum debris, and any materials used to clean the vacuum, in a plastic bag."
ReplyDeleteThat's going to work really well for everyone with an expensive Dyson (or any other bagless vacuum.) (Maybe you can just clean out the container. What about all the filters? I think my cheapo model has 3 or 4, both in foam and paper, like a car's air filter.)
BP,
ReplyDeleteCouple months ago I started buying up 60watt incandescent bulbs . . . . I've got six or eight 12-pack in the house. I'm going to continue buying them at a rate of about one 12-pack every two weeks from now until the end of the year. My wife thinks I'm nuts -- no change there -- she thought I was nuts anyway. ;->
Few years ago the EU did the same thing -- as the end approached, there was a run on incandescent bulbs. People started hoarding 'em. Me, I figure I'm six to nine months ahead of the game.
- Brad
Here's my method:
ReplyDeleteCleaning up broken incandescent bulbs: Sweep up the broken glass. Throw the broken glass away. Be careful - broken glass is sharp.
Cleaning up broken Compact Fluorescent bulbs: Sweep up the broken glass. Throw the broken glass away. Be careful - broken glass is sharp.
Some communities have recycling requirements for the lamps on account of the trace amount of mercury. But if you have broken the envelope and released the mercury vapor and mercury-contaminated phosphor powder, then there's not much point in taking the remaining glass, plastic, and electronic bits back to the HD store, is there?
I know it's good schadenfreude to pretend that the eco-bulb is an eco-apocalypse if it breaks, but let's not be silly about it.
My renovated rooms are getting some very chic fluorescent T5 fixtures with 2700K warm-white tubes. That way I can hassle my greenie friends about how wasteful they are to use CFL's that have "throw away" electronic ballasts.
Extensive coverage on breakage and other CFL mercury etc problems...
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The CFL Mercury Issue
Breakage -- Recycling -- Dumping -- Mining -- Manufacturing -- Transport -- Power Plants
LEDs: The Lead and Arsenic Issue
Lead, arsenic and other toxic content, home breakage and disposal concerns
Maybe we can send all our broken CFL bulbs to the members of Congress who voted to ban the perfectly good incandescent ones.
ReplyDeleteThe most likely thing would be for the EPA to arrest you for pollution and the DHS to arrest you as a terrorist.
Amen to all!
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