Home | Home | Interior Design

How to Properly Dispose of Light Bulbs

By: Tony Shepard

Read More About Interior Design

While the energy savings from new types of light bulbs are very welcome, they are still a work in progress and we have to exercise some care in their disposal. The correct methods of disposal may vary from state to state. These general guidelines will help you be sure your used bulbs are not contributing to pollution, either in your home or as part of the bigger picture. This guide will detail all you need to know to remove either whole or broken bulbs from your home to an EPA approved place.

Disposal of Non-CFL Light Bulbs

Broken or whole light bulbs are always at risk of injuring your trash collection workers, unless clearly marked. Double-bagging can help safeguard workers from cuts, especially from broken bulbs. To remove this risk completely, consider adding them to your recycling collection, or starting one if you do not have this set up. For a few minutes work, you gain the satisfaction of knowing your trash is not a part of the global problem.

CFL Light Bulbs Disposal

The correct method for disposing of your home’s spent light bulbs depends on their type and whether whole or fragmented. The recent trend for energy efficient bulbs (often known as CFLs, or compact fluorescent lights.) saves you money at the cost of using a small amount of mercury in the manufacture. This amount of mercury is considered by the government too small to be a serious hazard to health, but since few who buy them know their contents, ensuring a proper clean up and disposal after a CFL bulb breaks will give homeowners peace of mind.

Safely Clean Up & Dispose of Broken CFLs.

Each CFL bulb has up to 5 milligrams of mercury inside. This is not usually a problem as they are harder to break than the standard incandescent bulbs. Since the amount of mercury used in CFLs is very small and in a powder form, cleaning up broken bulbs involves following some simple rules.

Contain the Spill: Evacuate

Remove all pets, children and pregnant women from the room before cleaning up. The powder from a broken light bulb is a small amount, but can become airborne from breezes, fans, air from vents for cooling and heating and the movement of clothes passing by the area. Turn off all devices which move the air in the room and close all doors to the rest of the house, and windows, for the few minutes it takes to get the powder off surfaces, then open all of them to dilute any tiny amount of powder that escapes into the air.

Contain the Spill: Clothes and Shoes

If any powder landed on clothes, remove them and place on newspaper, covering with a fresh sheet, to deal with after the other area is cleaned up. Take off any shoes which were splashed with powder during the breakage to ensure it does not travel around the house with you while collecting cleaning materials. Outside spills can be covered with newspaper while you assemble the tools you need to safely remove the powder and glass shards.

Cleaning: Getting Ready

You will need the following items: a pair of rubber or plastic gloves, a safe container for the broken bulb and any paper towels, tissues or tape used in this process (a Ziploc bag or a lass jar with a lid are perfect. A flashlight can aid to illuminate any small shards stuck in carpet pile or other furnishings. Remember to mark a Ziploc bag or jar with its contents and a warning, before placing it safely out of reach until it can be taken to an official depositary.

Cleaning: Safety First

The vacuum should not be used for this clean up, since the powder may linger inside attachments. After donning plastic gloves, very carefully pick up visible glass fragments. Use a stiff piece of cardboard to pick up powder that is in small piles, and then put it into the glass jar or Ziploc bag. Use a dampened paper towel to pick up any residues, and then add it to the other materials used, carefully removing your gloves and placing them inside prior to sealing.

Cleaning: Clothes and shoes

Lightly contaminated areas on clothes and shoes should be first gently shaken into the “dirty” bag or jar, and then cleaned with a damp tissue in the same manner as other surfaces. More heavily contaminated clothes, shoes or furnishings should be emptied into the bag, as above, and considered as items for the trash rather than the washing machine, unless they are particularly valuable or hard to replace.

Cleaning: Finishing Touches

Open all the doors and windows, as soon as all the bag or jar is sealed and turn on devices that were shut off during the process. This will disperse any remaining powder in the air. The clean up is now done and the proper disposal via acceptable sites is the next step..

Disposal: Safe Sites for CFL Bulbs.

Spent whole light bulbs are accepted at IKEA stores and various recycling facilities found by calling1-800-CLEAN-UP or using your zip code at www.earth911.org . Local authorities will also be able to inform you of the sites they have approved for safe disposal of CFL bulbs.

General Disposal Advice: Don’ts

*Throw CFL bulbs in with the regular trash, to avoid breakage and spreading of their contents.

*Pass CFL bulbs to disposal companies who incinerate their trash, since his releases mercury into the atmosphere.

*Don’t breathe in deeply over the spill area. Move away if you feel a sneeze coming on.

*Never vacuum the spilt power from a CFL as a first measure, as this can contaminate the air and vacuum bag.

*Clean up in flowing sleeves or hems that may catch up powder and redistribute it in other places.

*Leave a child, pet or pregnant woman in the room, while cleaning up. Have them step outside while a clean up is in process.

* Rush into a clean up Think first, and then check there are appropriate supplies.

*Allow air conditioning, heating vents and fans to spread the contents of CFL bulbs.

General Disposal Advice: Do's

*Always check the appropriate place for disposal of all light bulbs for your location with local authorities

*Consider using regular incandescent bulbs in rooms such as children’s bedrooms if there is a chance of breakage due to very low ceilings.

*Consult a specialist cleaner for hard to reach areas such as the insides of any heating or cooling ducts, since they may carry the dust to other areas of the house.

*Always safely contain any pets or small children who may come into contact with the powder while you collect cleaning materials.

Conclusions Regarding Disposal of CFL Bulbs

Our clean up tips are based on the rules the government issues for any hazardous substance. If you are unsure of the nature of any spill, a quick call to local government agencies is in order.

The situation with these light bulbs is one of accepting a very small risk in return for larger energy savings. New technologies under development mean your children will have safer and easier ways to light their homes without dealing with even the tiny amounts of mercury powder in CFLs.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Want more information about CFL's? Follow this link to find out more about Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs.

Please Rate this Article

 

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Interior Design Articles Via RSS!
Additional Articles From - Home | Home | Interior Design
Sign Up for a free account.
Our other websites
All about SEO
Beauty Tips Forum
Submit Articles
Member Login
Link Us
Submission Guidelines
Ezine Notifications
Article RSS Feeds
Sitemap
New Stuff
About Us
Developer
Good shopping portal
Link to Us
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service

counter easy hit

Powered by Article Dashboard