Trajan
conscientia mille testes
The opposition to the required use of CF bulbs have made a big deal about the mercury content and it's effect on the environment. Today the average CF contains 4mg of mercury. Some of the new CF's contain 1 to 2mg. By comparison a mercury thermometer contains 500mg.
Most mercury vapor inside fluorescent light bulbs becomes bound to the inside of the light bulb as it is used. EPA estimates that the rest of the mercury within a CFL about 11 percent is released into air or water when it is sent to a landfill, assuming the light bulb is broken. Therefore, if all 272 million CFLs
sold in 2009 were sent to a landfill (versus recycled, as a worst case) they would add 0.12 metric tons, or 0.12 percent, to U.S. mercury emissions caused by humans. And this is only if the bulbs are not recycled.
http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf
hence the question, recycling, can you craft an effective recycling methodology that joe six pack will follow?
If not we are defacto just assuming that the .12 metric tons will not cause any concomitant damage at the landfill were they will wind up with batteries and computer parts and other such items that contain some items that are hazardous at set levels. *shrugs*