Back in December I wrote about CFL bulbs. I may have been the last person on the planet to have heard about the mercury disposal issues with the CFL bulbs. I have been using them in my house for about 6 months.
I’m not as grossed out by the light they put out as other people are, but I do have incandescents in many of my ceiling fan lights, so perhaps the mix makes it less bothersome.
No, I don’t like them because they don’t last as long as they claim to- three of the lights that have been installed for 6 months or less have burnt out already. And, I now I have these burnt out lightbulbs that I’m not entirely sure of how I am to dispose of them.
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It's still legal most places to toss them if you don't have a recycling center around you. Because they use less energy, the amount of mercury your putting in the landfill by tossing them is outweighed by the fact that the largest source of mercury emissions is coal-burning power plants (so using incandescent bulbs actually releases (indirectly) more mercury into the environment than CFLs).
As far as the life of the bulb goes, I'm surprised to hear of your problems. I've never yet replaced a CFL since I began using them a couple of years ago! One thing you might try is minimizing how often you turn them on and off. It's bad for CFLs to be frequently cut on and off. If you are leaving the room but plan to be back in there in 10 or 15 minutes, just leave the light on. Remember the CFL is using significantly less power than a incandescent so leaving it on when you not in the room for short periods of time is fine.
Posted by: dolphin | January 21st, 2008 1:18 pm |