1. Unless and until a convenient way to recycle the bulbs is made available, I predict that no less than 75% of those bulbs bought for residential use will end up in landfills. Environmental policy needs to be based on how people actually behave, rather than ideal behavior.

2. I use CFBs. Thier light is harsh and ugly. They're fine during the day, as a complement to natural light, but once the sun sets I use incandescents almost exclusively. It's like living at the hospital, otherwise.

What an inconvenience it must be that the way the power companies (and the nation) actually produce power for your light bulbs, rather that the ideal behavior, is by throwing poison and CO2 into the air.

There really is no excuse for not recycling your CFLs. If you don't have curbside recycling, get a medium sized cardboard box, save up any defunct CFLs in the box, and take it to your regional CFL recycling center when the box is full.

If you can't be bothered to follow these simple steps, is there any real difference between you and someone who throws their garbage out the car window on the street?

1. I have to agree with you on this point. The people consciously paying a premium for CFLs now are more likely to dispose of them properly than will be the majority of Americans that will be forced to buy CFLs.

2. You must be using the wrong brand. The first CFLs I bought were Feit Electric daylight bulbs and they were just okay, bordering on bad. Next time, I spent a little more on Sylvania soft white bulbs, and the light is just as pleasing as soft white incandescent bulbs. Actually, I'll occasionally turn on an equivalent incandescent bulb in the same lamp and find that it's actually much harsher than the CFL, as it gives off a more direct rather than diffuse light.

The big drawback I can see to CFLs is that their lifespan is significantly shortened (by more than half, I believe) if they are turned on and off frequently (think bathrooms or closets). In the long run, however, this may still be more cost-effective and environmentally-friendly than incandescent bulbs.

You can wag your finger all you like, the objective truth is that replacing all the incandescent bulbs with CFBs will result in high levels of Hg contamination in and around the nation's landfills. Count on it.

Maybe the environmental impact will be balanced by the benefits of using less energy. I don't know. But the cost of making the switch has to be based on realistic expectations of consumer behavior.

As I indicated in another post, there are those to whom mitigating the harm on the environment is a high priority. Then there are those to whom this is not so important.

The second group is likely to get a bit grumpy when someone insists that they are responsible for cleaning up their own mess. In this case, I do insist.

Time for these people to grow up, use the right light bulb, get a smaller more efficient car, save your defunct CFL in a box, and take the box to a qualified recycling once or twice a year. Also, don't drive if you have been drinking and don't dump your garbage on the street. Don't smoke where I might breath in the smoke and don't piss in a public pool. When you don't do these things you are doing harm to others.

That will be enough wagging for now.

gone_fishing:

... save your defunct CFL in a box, and take the box to a qualified recycling once or twice a year.

Hee-hee, it's a good thing I have room in my McMansion for this box o bulbs.

I have switched to CFLs recently, replacing burnt out bulbs, with flourecents. I have kept a few incandecents in task lighting, but for general lighting, CFLs seem to work fine.

I had not considered the disposal of them, but I will now keep that in mind when these start burning out. I plan to check with my county landfill, as they have all types of recycling programs for all manner of things. I'm sure they have some plan for these. I really don't see this as much of an inconvienence, but I am realistic enough to concede that many people won't care, and will throw them into the regular trash.

Modern landfills are well lined and managed, so while not ideal, I'm rather certain the Mercury will be contained as well. When you consider the millions of batteries thrown away every year, containing other hazardous metals (lead/cadmium), the landfill is already handling these.

Perhaps the ideal solution is for people to be responsible, and store both used batteries and CFLs in a box, so they can be recycled. But it is not an ideal world. You just have to look at the trash lying on the side of most roads, to know the world is full of lazy, uncaring pigs.

I dont know what planet you live on but lets talk about reality. Or don't you watch CNN. When did you see last that man kind uses it head. The CFL will end up in landfills! A school will be build on that landfill 100 years from now. And the news will say to the poor kids getting sick that the idiots 100 years ago were trying to lower thier carbon footprint and posined us all.