What & Where to Recycle INDEX |Fluorescents & Thermostats

Mercury makes fluorescent lights work and cannot be eliminated from the lights completely. It is a heavy metal that evaporates easily and travels long distances in the atmosphere before falling to soil and water when it rains. When mercury-containing products, such as fluorescent lights, are placed in the household trash, the mercury may be released to the environment from waste incinerators or from landfills. Recycling the lights keeps the mercury out of the environment and allows the mercury, glass and metal to be reused in other products.

Reduce: Because CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs) last up to 10 times longer than standard bulbs and use up to 66% less energy, switching to fluorescent lighting reduces the amount of bulbs used and the amount of energy needed to light your home! Using fluorescent lighting does create special environment considerations when it comes to use and disposal.

Did You know? Using new testing procedures, the EPA tested fluorescent bulbs and found approximately 50% of them had sufficient mercury content to be classified as hazardous waste.

RECYCLE HERE!

Fluorescent and HID lamps, ballasts and thermostats are not accepted for disposal in any regular dumpster because they contain mercury. A fee for disposal is charged at the following locations:

Consolidated Electrical, Kalispell 755-6633.

Ace Hardware:
Whitefish, MT 224 Central Ave
(406) 862-3573
Kalispell, MT 130 N Meridian Rd
(406) 755-9701

For periodic pickup by out of state firms:
AETS 800-735-8964;
EcoLight Northwest 206-343-1247;
PTES 406-259-5918;
Safety Kleen 800-669-5902.

Source: Some of the text on this topic is adapted from:
* http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf
* http://www.pca.state.mn.us/waste/pubs/business.html
* http://www.pca.state.mn.us/waste/pubs/index.html

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