Each CFL (Compact Flourescent light bulb) contains between 2 and 5 mg of Mercury. At the moment these are being put in the garbage, where they land up in our land fill. They are easily broken and the mercury released into the environment. Mercury is a dangerous and toxic substance.
Hello
I am appalled that CFL's which contain mercury, are
simply disposed of as trash and land up in our Myocum tip.
How can the local council allow this to happen?
These fluoro bulbs must be categorised as hazardous
and toxic waste. Please make a recycling program for
this type of toxic waste a priority
HOW THEY WORK;
When you turn the lamp on, the current flows
through the electrical circuit to the electrodes.
There is a considerable voltage across the electrodes, so electrons will migrate through the gas from one end of the tube to the other. This energy changes
some of the mercury in the tube from a liquid to a gas. As electrons and charged atoms move through the tube, some of them will collide with the gaseous mercury atoms. These collisions excite the atoms,bumping electrons up to higher energy levels. When the electrons return to their original energy
level, they release light photons.
I am very concerned that people are simply putting these bulbs and the mercury in them in the trash. Surely many of these bulbs would be broken and the mercury and mercury vapours released into the environment.
Not having government work out a safe way to dispose of these bulbs is downright irresponsible, as
it is the governemnt talking about making incandescent light bulbs obsolete, and only talking about how much energy the fluoro ones save. Are we not causing a worse environmental problem for ourselves?
