[GreenYes] Re: Fluorescents -- education should be up front

["Joy Kingsborough" <joyking@no.address>]

Hello all - I have been following this thread quietly. I am the owner of a
lighting retailer that focuses solely on energy efficient solutions for
business and residential. 

I couldn't agree with you all more. It infuriates me that no one in the
industry (manufacturers, large retailers, etc.) is stepping up to the plate
and taking preventative measures regarding recycling of CFLs. Our company
has taken it upon ourselves to recycle our customers CFLs for them when they
break or burn out. We also host monthly meetings throughout the state to
educate consumers of the benefits and responsibilities of CFL use. We feel
it is our responsibility to take this action; however, we pay for it out of
our own pocket. We receive no support from our manufacturers or from the
special interest groups who use our products to distribute to the public for
free.

Right now we are negotiating with a local utility company to help subsidize
the cost of recycling in order to expand our effort to people outside of our
customer base. Utility companies have been promoting programs for CFLs for
about 3 years now and not one of them has launched a recycling effort. In
Arizona alone, that is over 1 million CFLs in residential homes that are
mostly likely unaware of recycling...that is a large number of CFLs going
into the landfills and mercury into our soil...

If anyone is in Arizona - we will be taking CFLs for recycling at the Sedona
Library on Saturday, May 19th, 2007. 

If anyone has any suggestions or ideas to help me create a better program
for recycling or to reach a larger audience, please email directly at
joyking@no.address I would love to see Energy Star step in and require the
education and recycling in order to receive the Energy Star seal of
approval. :-)

Joy Kingsborough

BulbMe!

3116 S. Mill Ave., Ste. 182 Tempe, AZ 85282

 

Toll Free   +1.866.386.5559

Office       +1.480.471.5810

Mobile      +1.480.695.2558

joyking@no.address

 

www.bulbme.com 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: GreenYes@no.address [mailto:GreenYes@no.address] On Behalf
Of Reindl, John
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2007 6:40 AM
To: Kim Leslie
Cc: GreenYes@no.address
Subject: [GreenYes] RE:Fluorescents -- education should be up front


Hi Kim ~

I totally agree. I am so amazed that businesses sell all sorts of products
and then expect government to spend the money on education,  collection and
recycling or disposal. 

I am also totally amazed that we in government do this, providing another
subsidy to the business community.

I think that this is an area ripe for manufacturers' responsbility.

Some states have laws requiring mercury-containing products to be labeled,
with information on its composition and how to handle the old product. My
county  adopted an ordinance in 2002 requiring that retailers both provide
take-back of fluorescents (and mercury thermostats) and to post information
at the time of sale that these products are banned from disposal at the
county landfill (due to the mercury) and that the store will provide take
back. 

John 
Dane County, WI 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kim Leslie [mailto:kimleslie1@no.address]
> Sent: Friday, May 11, 2007 8:32 AM
> To: Reindl, John
> Cc: David Biddle; GreenYes@no.address
> Subject: Re: [GreenYes] RE:Mercury from fluorescents -- a 
> future problem
> and in the commercial sector
> 
> 
> Hi John,
> 
> It seems like education is the biggest issue in all this. Look at all
> the campaigns urging people to switch to CFLs in the first place.
> Where is the foot note that said "by the way, when this bulb goes,
> don't throw it in the trash"? The education campaign should have been
> introduced as soon as those bulbs were on the market. I think it's
> great that producers are stepping up and working to reduce the mercury
> (they'll have to if they want to sell these in Europe anyway), but
> it's there now and most consumers (and I include businesses in this)
> are still blissfully unaware of what's in a CFL or an LED for that
> matter.
> 
> Well, that's my two cents, I'll go back to sitting on the bench now.
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> Kim
> 
> On 5/11/07, Reindl, John <Reindl@no.address> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Hi David ~
> >
> > As I noted in my earlier note, the amount of mercury released to the
> > enivorment from fluorescents is decreasing, in part due to 
> the reduction in
> > the mercury content on a per lamp basis. This trend could 
> change in the
> > future if we have a massive change in the sale of fluorescents.
> >
> > Yes, most fluorescents are used in the commercial sector 
> (80+ percent), but
> > the number used by households is increasing rapidly. Education and
> > enforcement will be important along with providing 
> convenient take-back
> > locations and the removal of the household exemption that 
> allows households
> > to send hazardous wastes to landfills and incinerators. 
> California has taken
> > the lead on this for a wide range of materials, while other 
> states have
> > banned the landfilling and incineration of all 
> mercury-containing products
> > from all sources.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > John
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: GreenYes@no.address 
> [mailto:GreenYes@no.address]On Behalf
> > Of David Biddle
> > Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2007 7:50 PM
> > To: Reindl, John; GreenYes@no.address
> > Subject: [GreenYes] Re: mercury from fluorescents
> >
> > I'm not following this issue yet close enough, but wouldn't 
> most of the
> > fluorescent mercury be coming from tube lamps still? Don't 
> we have about the
> > 3-5 years before we see the problem with CFLs? And isn't 
> this a matter of
> > education and enforcement of the commercial sector where 
> the predominant
> > population of fluorescent tubes is found? They don't 
> circumvent CERCLA the
> > way residential does. Just asking? The number of businesses 
> I see weekly
> > that don't have a fluorescent lamp recycling program is staggering.
> >
> > db
> > --
> > David Biddle, Executive Director
> > <http://www.blueolives.blogspot.com>
> > Greater Philadelphia Commercial Recycling Council
> > P.O. Box 4037
> > Philadelphia, PA 19118
> >
> > 215-247-3090 (desk)
> > 215-432-8225 (cell)
> >
> > <http://www.gpcrc.com>
> >
> > Read In Business magazine to learn about sustainable
> > businesses in communities across North America!
> > Go to: <http://www.jgpress.com/inbusine.htm>
> >
> > on 5/10/07 3:08 PM, Reindl, John at Reindl@no.address wrote:
> >
> >
> > According to the mercury flow model done for EPA, the 
> release of mercury
> > from fluorescents to the environment in 2005 in the US is 
> estimated at about
> > 8.2 metric tons, down from 13.7 metric tons in 2000.
> >
> > All the coal burning power plants in the US emit about 45 
> metric tons of
> > mercury to the air.
> >
> > So, fluorescents are not an insignificant source of mercury 
> emissions to the
> > environment.
> >
> > Please let me know if you would like a copy of the model, 
> which is an Excel
> > spreadsheet.
> >
> > John Reindl
> > Dane County, WI
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: GreenYes@no.address
> > [mailto:GreenYes@no.address]On Behalf Of
> > daklute@no.address
> > Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2007 1:51  PM
> > To: Doug Koplow
> > Cc: bill@no.address;  GreenYes@no.address
> > Subject: [GreenYes] Re: Ban the Bulb --  But don't create a 
> new toxic
> > problem, say local  governments
> >
> > The ENERGY STAR program has pretty rigorous  QA/QC in terms of lumen
> > maintenance and hours of use. If they don't perform,  they don't get
> > certified. IF they don't get certified, Wal-Mart won't sell 
>  them. Also, the
> > EPACT set up certain hours of use requirmenets for CFL's - 
> I  think it is
> > 6000.
> >
> > Don't forget, as a source of anthropogenic Hg, this  is a 
> very small one.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >  > >
> >
> 




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