Give them your tired, your poor, your burnt CFLs…

Posted on by

I took a little bit of heat for recommending CFLs (compact fluorescent lightbulbs) to readers.  Some people really object to them because of their mercury content.

They do contain some mercury (about four milligrams – old thermometers used to contain 500 milligrams – yikes!) and we do need to be more careful not to break them.  I’ll take this opportunity to say, if you DO break one, go here for proper clean up instructions.  But I still believe the switch to CFLs is a necessary step that all households need to take… I won’t change my view on that.

Enter: Home Depot

I can’t believe I just heard about this(!) but Home Depot recently started a program dubbed their National CFL Bulb Recycling Initiative.  All you need to do is bring your burned out, UN-broken CFLs to a Home Depot location, hand them to a store associate in customer service and they’ll turn them over to an environmental management company so they are properly disposed and won’t cause contamination.

This is such good news, because there are 1,973 Home Depot locations in the United States and 75% of households are within a 10 mile radius of one of their stores.

Bravo, Home Depot!

Now, not only do we have an opportunity to make the right choice in purchasing CFLs but we can also be guilt-free afterward.

So, step number one: don’t drop the damn bulb! 🙂 Step two: five years from now, when they FINALLY burn out(!) take them for a drive to Home Depot and say ’thank you very much!’

We respect your email privacy

Please Support My Book: Save Green While You Go Green

23 Eco-Friendly Ways To Save Money While You Save The Planet

"Going green" has always been a part of my daily life. It began, as a little girl, when I helped my mom gather the recyclables and deliver them to a recycling center. It continues today, as a mom myself, when I teach my own children those same responsible virtues.

There are so many more facets of going green in the modern day, and the definition of the term reaches far beyond simple recycling. But going green isn't just about installing solar panels on your rooftop... it's about all the little choices that make the biggest difference. From food choices, to cleaning your home, to saving money on your monthly utility bills and consumption; the choices are vast.

However, there is a popular misconception that "going green" will "cost you green." We're inundated with green products, eco-friendly formulas, organics and mountains of options, making it seem that going green is an investment rather than an opportunity.

Well, I'm here to help dispel that myth and actually show you all of the ways you can live green, keep your family healthy, and benefit the environment without sacrificing anything, including your money.

When you make wise choices to gain the most benefit, relieve the burden on the environment, and save money to use elsewhere, everyone wins. You've already taken the first step. You've come here for help to make it happen.

Put these tips into action, and you will soon find that you can "save green" while you "go green"!

5 thoughts on “Give them your tired, your poor, your burnt CFLs…”

  2. This is FANTASTIC news! Thank you so much for this! The only place I knew of before was Ikea, and the nearest one to me is 45 minutes. I did take one with some electronics to a place that recycles old tvs, computers, etc. but after they took it, I got the feeling they weren’t so sure about it, so my guess is it wound up in a landfill 🙁 Excellent to know about Home Depot!!

    OneGreenMommys last blog post..Sweet Dreams

  3. Organically Tv – it is great news. I will never change my mind about CFLs either and now I’m just so happy that there is a resource for what some consider a problem!

    OneGreenMommy – I’m so glad I helped! Our IKEA is an hour & a half away!…yikes! I’m thrilled that Home Depot has stepped up to the plate too!

  4. Pingback: Yurto » » What is Your Carbon Footprint?

  5. Pingback: » The light goes out on incandescents… hello CFLs & LEDs! - Mom Goes Green

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge