Over the next month and a half, Green Guides will be distributing over 5,000 CFL bulbs to their neighbors throughout 19125. In their lifetime, these bulbs will save our community up to $600,000 in energy costs and prevent over 1,600 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
A few Guides and community members have rightfully voiced concerns about the potential hazards of improper disposal of CFLs. We would like to inform you about any precautions as well as encourage their appropriate care and disposal.
Many of you are probably aware that CFL bulbs contain trace amounts of mercury. Though the amount of mercury found in a single CFL is too small to be toxic to adults, their improper disposal has the potential to lead to a buildup of mercury in our environment. CFLs, like batteries and some electronics, MUST be recycled at facilities that manage hazardous waste. The City of Philadelphia has several hazardous waste collection dates listed at http://www.phila.gov/streets/hazardous_waste.html.
Other places to drop off CFLs:
- New Kensington CDC (2515 Frankford Ave.)
- Ikea
- Home Depot
In the event that a bulb breaks, here are steps for clean-up outlined by the ECA:
1. Before Clean-up: Air Out the Room
• Have people and pets leave the room, and don’t let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
• Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
• Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.
2. Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces
• Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass pieces and powder.
• Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.
• Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.
3. Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug:
• Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
• If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
• Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.
4. Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding, etc.:
• If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. Do not wash such clothing or bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.
• You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
• If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.
5. Disposal of Clean-up Materials
• Immediately place all clean-up materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash pickup.
• Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
• Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states do not allow such trash disposal. Instead, they require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a local recycling center.
6. Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rug: Air Out the Room During and After Vacuuming
• The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window before vacuuming.
• Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.
On a side note, because coal-fired power plants are the biggest source of mercury emissions and using CFLs decreases electricity use, ultimately the amount of mercury entering our environment will be decreased by the use of CFLs.
For more on this topic, check out this NPR article.
For more on CFLs, check out http://www.energystar.gov/cfls
Looking for something to do on MLK Day? Sustainable 19125 volunteers will be available from 10am – 2pm on MLK Day to help you do door-to-door outreach distributing FREE CFL bulbs and educational materials to your neighbors! Neighbors who are interested in doing their block and will be available at that time should contact Tamara at 215-427-0350 x 133 or email 
