Special Report: Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb's

They're called CFI's, compact fluorescent lights. The bulbs are longer lasting and more energy efficient than traditional light bulbs and that makes environmentalists happy! But it's what happens when the bulbs are no longer in use that has many worried! Right now, only a small fraction of compact fluorescent lights sold in the U.S. are recycled, while the rest end up in landfills.

Uses Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
"I thought you could just throw them away."

The bulbs contain mercury, so when they break or are thrown in the trash they release hazardous mercury gas. We found two hardware stores in Cambridge that recycle the bulbs for their customers.

Ned Ver Planck, Dickson Bros. Co.
"Usually on Saturday morning we pack them up and take them down to the recycling center."

Heidi Kiewel, Economy Hardware
"We used so many bulbs that we had to find a way to get rid of them in a safe and responsible manner and so then when customers started asking us we just started taking them with our things."

Environmentalist John Rogers says while the bulbs do pose a mercury threat, the energy used to light the typical incandescent bulb is a lot worse.

John Rogers, Union of Concerned Scientists
"The bulbs are 4 times as efficient. On average, that means you're using one fourth the electricity to power this which has direct implications for how much mercury is being emitted from the coal."

He says there are a lot of options to recycle; you just have to do a little work to find them.

John Rogers, Union of Concerned Scientists
"You have municipal options like household hazardous waste day, or maybe a recycling drop off center like maybe in Cambridge where it's open several times a week, you can take it back to different hardware stores."

But Rogers says just because recycling may be a little bit inconvenient, don't stop using the bulbs.

John Rogers, Union of Concerned Scientists
"If people use these bulbs they'll be reducing their global warming pollution, they'll be emitting less mercury at the source, at the power plant, and they'll be saving money on their electricity bills."

Swedish retailer IKEA collects the bulbs at all of its 34 stores and manufacturer Osram Sylvania offers a mail-in program.

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