Current Affair Forums

Posted: 05 January 2008 at 10:30pm | IP Logged

Ok.... i may be going crazy but is anyone else worried about the revelations that energy saving light bulbs contain mercury!

If one breaks or dies we're not allowed to re-cycle them or put them in general waste....apparently (and the following is taken from the bbc news web page, hope this was ok...)

'Official advice from the Department of the Environment states that if a low-energy bulb is smashed, the room needs to be vacated for at least 15 minutes.

A vacuum cleaner should not be used to clear up the debris, and care should be taken not to inhale the dust.

Instead, rubber gloves should be used, and the broken bulb put into a sealed plastic bag - which should be taken to the local council for disposal.

Unbroken used bulbs can be taken back to the retailer if the owner is a member of the Distributor Takeback Scheme.

Otherwise, many local waste disposal sites now have the facilities to safely collect and dispose of old bulbs.

However, this advice is not printed on the packaging that low-energy bulbs are sold in. '

Am i the only one who is now concerned and worrying about what to do if one goes pop and the kids come running and how to dispose of it and keep it safe till you can get to the council or how to find out if your local shop takes them back if in one piece??

Posted: 07 January 2008 at 8:26am | IP Logged

lol...my new house is full of them cos thats the rules apparently...which is pants cos it means all my lampshades dont fit...and the bit you plug the bulb into is really really big as well...according to the site manager ikea lampshades fit....i did kind of tell the site manager he had to convince joe to let me go shopping in ikea (as im not allowed unescorted) and he said...if your anything like my wife, youll do it online and deny all knowledge! 

I dont like them cos they take forever to get up to speed...but i suppose we all have to do our bit