Why It’s Vital To Recycle Mercury-containing Bulbs

Why It’s Vital To Recycle Mercury-containing Bulbs

1. Sending mercury to landfills can hurt our well being
When mercury-containing light bulbs like compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) are thrown into the garbage, they go to landfill. As soon as they’re there, the mercury inside can seep into landfill groundwater and create contaminated leachate, which can affect our consuming supply. Whenever you recycle CFL light bulbs, the mercury in them will be properly and safely handled to make sure it doesn’t hurt human health. Phosphor, which can also be current in crushed fluorescent lamp recycling bulbs, will also be toxic and will always be securely stored for a similar reason.

2. Landfill area is running out
The world’s waste production is increasing on a regular basis, and most of it nonetheless goes to landfills. Which means we’re running decrease on house – and any space that can be saved in landfills is certainly a good thing.

3. Reducing landfill waste is good for the planet
Landfills can pollute the soil within the space round them as well as leach chemicals into the groundwater, which may end up in the demise of aquatic life. While many landfills lately are securely and responsibly maintained, they'll still have adverse effects on our health and the surroundings, and reducing the waste you contribute to them is a constructive goal.

4. The uncooked materials in light bulbs will be reused
Another important good thing about recycling is that the uncooked materials might be recovered and reused – letting us recover among the energy that was used to make them. Aluminum, for example, requires ninety six% less energy to make from recycled cans than it does to process from uncooked materials. Recycling just one glass bottle can save sufficient energy to light a a hundred watt light bulb for 4 hours. And recycling your light bulbs gives their parts a new life, somewhat than adding to a landfill that will likely be round for as much as 1,000 years.

Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) contain a small quantity of mercury, whereas incandescent bulbs do not. You'll have switched to CFLs in your house, as they're more energy-environment friendly, lasting round ten occasions longer than incandescent bulbs. Incandescent bulbs are actually being phased out of sale in many places, together with Canada, because they’re so inefficient in comparison.
Should you’re unsure which type of bulb you've gotten, see how to inform when you've got a CFL bulb.