What to Do When Your CFL Light Bulbs
Break
With the emphasis on saving
energy, many people are replacing their incandescent light bulbs
with the newer compact fluorescent (CFL) ones. They do consume less
energy to run and generally last longer, but what are the hazards
associated with these bulbs?
They are generally considered to
be safe to use; however, they do contain a small amount of mercury,
and should be handled carefully when installing or removing
them. Because of the mercury
contained in fluorescents, Health Canada has issued guidelines to
follow in order to minimize the exposure risk when a CFL bulb or
tube is broken. This Guide will help to prevent serious injury when
dealing with broken CFL light bulbs. Read more here.
Where can you recycle old
batteries?
Millions of batteries get thrown
out every year. In addition to being a waste, it's also a hazard
because those old batteries can leach dangerous chemicals into the
soil. But there are more than 1,200 collection sites in B.C.'s
Call2Recycle program, which collect all household batteries and
cell phones for recycling. There are also lots of retail stores
where you can drop them off in person, including most London drugs
stores, Home Depot and Ikea.So far this year Call2Recycle has saved more than
700,000 batteries from the landfill. You can just type in your
postal code on its website to find the recycling depots closest to
where you live or work.