Fluorescent lightbulbs good for planet, despite mercury.Byline: Recycling recycling, the process of recovering and reusing waste products—from household use, manufacturing, agriculture, and business—and thereby reducing their burden on the environment. by Pete Chism For The Register-Guard THE RECENT windstorm wind·storm n. A storm with high winds or violent gusts but little or no rain. windstorm A storm with high winds or violent gusts but little or no rain. , which knocked out power in homes and businesses for periods ranging from a few hours to several days, was a not-too-subtle reminder of our dependence on electricity. Schools closed. Businesses shut down. Ranges and stoves wouldn't cook. Heaters went coldly silent. And despite our frantic flipping of switches, rooms remained dark. Before all of us take power for granted again, take a look around the room. The light you're reading this article by is either incandescent in·can·des·cent adj. 1. Emitting visible light as a result of being heated. 2. Shining brilliantly; very bright. See Synonyms at bright. 3. or fluorescent. While both will disappear with the next power outage Noun 1. power outage - equipment failure resulting when the supply of power fails; "the ice storm caused a power outage" power failure equipment failure, breakdown - a cessation of normal operation; "there was a power breakdown" , there is a difference worth noting between the two. Compact fluorescent lights use 75 percent less energy than standard light bulbs, and over the life of the product, they reduce operating costs operating costs npl → gastos mpl operacionales by 260 percent. They cost more to purchase, but on average, the purchase and operation of compact fluorescent lights will cut your costs by 50 percent. It also is commonly understood that compact fluorescent lights contain mercury, a heavy metal of environmental concern. Does that make them a poor environmental choice? Surprisingly, this is not the case. The amount of mercury in a compact fluorescent light is between 4 milligrams and 5 milligrams. By comparison, a mercury thermometer thermometer, instrument for measuring temperature. Galileo and Sanctorius devised thermometers consisting essentially of a bulb with a tubular projection, the open end of which was immersed in a liquid. contains 1,000 milligrams, or 1 gram of mercury. Mercury inside a compact fluorescent light slowly bonds with the phosphor A rare earth material used to coat the inside face of a CRT. When struck by an electron beam, the phosphor emits a visible light for a few milliseconds. In color displays, red, green and blue phosphor dots are grouped as a cluster. See screen burn. coating on the lamp interior as the lamp ages, making it generally unavailable for release to the atmosphere or for human consumption - so much so, in fact, that after the life of the light, the 4 to 5 milligrams of mercury vapor is reduced to between 0.08 milliigrams and 0.3 milligrams. Unlike standard incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent bulbs can be recycled. Locally, compact fluorescent bulbs and tubes can be taken to Lane County's Household Hazardous Waste Household hazardous waste (HHW) is the term for common household chemicals and substances for which the owner no longer has a use. Exhibiting many of the same dangerous characteristics as fully regulated hazardous waste, HHW is not regulated by the EPA. Facility. Residents and businesses can call 682-4120 to set up an appointment. To ease recycling, make sure bulbs and tubes are intact and packaged with newspaper or foam packing `peanuts' to prevent broken bulbs. Recycling advocates are looking into the possibility of setting up additional sites for fluorescent collection statewide. A recent article in The Oregonian reported that about 20 percent of the estimated 6 million fluorescent tubes and bulbs in Oregon will be recovered and recycled. Once the glass has been decontaminated, it can be reused in fiberglass, ceramics and cement mix. The aluminum ends are recycled with scrap metal. The recovered mercury is contained and used either in other products or disposed of at hazardous waste Hazardous waste Any solid, liquid, or gaseous waste materials that, if improperly managed or disposed of, may pose substantial hazards to human health and the environment. Every industrial country in the world has had problems with managing hazardous wastes. processing facilities. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Paul Abernathy, executive director of the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers, the point of recycling compact fluorescent bulbs and tubes isn't so much to recapture recapture n. in income tax, the requirement that the taxpayer pay the amount of tax savings from past years due to accelerated depreciation or deferred capital gains upon sale of property. (See: income tax) RECAPTURE, war. the mercury, but to make sure it doesn't escape into the environment. Using and recycling compact fluorescent lights is the best choice for the environment, in part because compact fluorescent lights reduce the need for coal power - yes, coal power. About 28 percent of the electricity used in Oregon is generated by coal-fired power plants. As a result of burning coal for electricity, mercury is released into the atmosphere. If the mercury is released from all the disposed compact fluorescent lights, there still would be less of it than the mercury generated by the emissions of coal power. David Allaway, waste prevention specialist for the state Department of Environmental Quality explains that by cutting back on electricity, we are in effect reducing the demand for coal power and limiting the amount of mercury released into the atmosphere. Compact fluorescent light bulbs are a net gain for the environment. So if you're reading this article by fluorescent light, make sure that you recycle re·cy·cle tr.v. re·cy·cled, re·cy·cling, re·cy·cles 1. To put or pass through a cycle again, as for further treatment. 2. To start a different cycle in. 3. a. the tubes or bulbs when they're spent so as to fully leverage their advantage. If you're reading this article with incandescent light, consider that there is a brighter alternative in your future. This column is provided by Lane County Recycling. Pete Chism is a waste reduction specialist for Lane County Waste Management |
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