Environmental Education, Conservation, recycling and Litter
"Grass Roots Green"
Karen Prewitt
My report has to do with CFL lightbulbs. After doing some in-depth research on CFL lightbulbs, I'm particulary concerned for our environment. I'd like to share with you what I've learned. I think that it is time to do some re-thinking and January is a good time.
January was named after the Roman god Janus, who's head on Roman coins showed two faces, one looking backward and one looking forward. Like the Roman coin, January gives us the opportunity to look backward at our mistakes of the previous year and learn from them, then look forward and use those learned lessons to meet new challenges.
Several years ago, the EPA mandated that the use of all incandesant lightbulbs would be discontinued and would be completely replaced by January 1, 2012 with the new CFL variety. The EPA believed that the CFL's would produce substantial energy savings for this country.
Now that deadline has been extended indefinitely.
I've brought two packages of bulbs today. This CFL package reads;
"This lamp contains mercury. Manage in accord with disposal laws"... BUT, it doesn't tell you what those laws are!
The other package contains the EPA warnings about how to address the clean up of a broken bulb. Their instructions are:
Step 1: Ventilate
If you have broken a bulb on a hard surface, open a window and leave the room for at least 15 minutes; turn off the central heating/or air conditioning.
Step 2: For Hard Surfaces
Wearing rubber gloves and using stiff paper or cardboard, carefully scoop up the glass bulb fragments and powder. Place them in a glass jar with a metal lid or sealed plastic bag. Using sticky tape to pick up any remaining small galss fragments or powder, then wipe the area clean with a damp paper towel, or disposable wet wipe. Place tape, towels and/or wipes in a jar or baggie. Do not use vaccum or broom.
Step 3: For Carpet and Rugs
Same as above, but... vaccum if needed... THEN remove vacum cleaner bag and wipe inside of canister clean, put the wipe and vacum bag in a sealed plastic bag. Dispose of
Step 4: Clothing and Bedding
Place all bedding in a sealed container and dispose. DO NOT WASH BEDDING OR CLOTHING IN THE WASHING MACHINE IF IT HAS COME IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE POWDER IN THE BULB.
Step 5: Dispose of clean up materials
Place all clean up materials in a garbage bag, seal it, and place outside in a covered trash container. Wash hands thoroughly.
Do you see the problems with this disposal system? Any broken glass fragments placed in a plastic bag will mean that the bag will instantly be ruptured when the garbage truck crushes it, then ruptured again when it is dumped in the local landfill and run over with heavy earth moving equipment. The next time it rains on our landfill water will trickle through this garbage containing mercury and filter down into the aquifers that provide our drinking water supply.
Mercury is a posion, and like radiation, it doesn't ever evaporate. Water treatment plants are not designed to filter out mercury.
Now is the time to re-think our useage of these bulbs!
Until the EPA finds a safer way of disposing of poisonous CFL bulbs, I think that we should re-consider this type of lighting.
Garden Clubs are the the largest volunteer organization in the world, and as such, we have the ability to effect change for the good.
Just as one single young woman was recently able to go on Facebook and tackle giant corporations like banks and telephone companies about overcharges, I think that we, as garden club members, also have the ability to effect change for a safer environment.