PAY TO RECYCLE?

Everywhere you look, people are converting to the energy efficient, compact florescent bulbs (CFL). Did you know you are not suppose to throw those away? CFL’s contain a small amount of mercury that can be hazardous to us and the environment. In some areas it’s against the law not to recycle these bulbs properly.

But we cannot put them in our recycle bins. So now what? Waste Management (the trash company) has launched an online service to encourage recycling of household waste including compact fluorescent lamps, batteries and other electronics. Go to thinkgreenfromhome.com, there you can pay $14.95 for a special safe bulb recycling box. (1/3 of that fee includes return shipping.) The box holds 15 bulbs so when it’s full, you just stick it in the mail. The box heads for recycling to Waste Management’s subsidiary, LampTracker, which already does this dirty deed for businesses.

If you are not into storing a box of bad bulbs for years, there are several retail stores that you can drop them off at.