CFL Recycling info

[Drew]

Worried that a lack of recycling options may be discouraging consumers
from buying energy-efficient compact fluorescent lightbulbs, the
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has arranged for
two recycling companies to provide local collection programs.

CFLs require special disposal - not put out at curbside with household
recyclables or trash - because they contain mercury, a hazardous
substance.

The DEP bought more than 100 recycling containers, each of which holds
100 to 150 bulbs, from AERC Recycling in Allentown and Bethlehem
Apparatus Co. in Hellertown, Northampton County.

It sent letters to counties and other groups offering the containers;
it is up to the locals to set up the recycling.

Among those in Southeastern Pennsylvania that took the agency up on
its offer:

Delaware, Montgomery and Chester County solid waste authorities.

Bucks County Planning Commission.

Marple (Delco) and Springfield (Montco) Townships.

Chestnut Hill United Methodist Church.

Compact fluorescents use about 75 percent less energy than comparable
incandescent bulbs.

The state is seeking more partners for recycling programs.

"We need to work together with all the parties - government,
businesses, non-profits and community service organizations - to make
recycling as convenient as possible," DEP secretary Kathleen A.
McGinty said in a press release.

Last month, the agency sent a letter to the nation's largest retailers
suggesting a pilot program that would allow consumers to return
compact fluorescent lightbulbs to the store where they bought them.
(Ikea already has such a program.)

"It's time to turn on the power of CFLs for reducing energy
consumption and protecting our environment," McGinty said.