Consumers on the lookout for energy efficient home options have been encouraged to use – and are probably already using – compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). CFLs use 75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer. Some energy companies even offer rebates for the bulk purchase of energy saving lights.
CFLs are valuable tools in your energy efficiency strategy, but you should be aware that they contain, among other things, highly-polluting mercury and must be recycled carefully. When released into the environment, mercury bioaccumulates (builds up in concentration over time in living organisms) and can cause serious nerve damage and other human health effects. Other products also contain mercury, like old thermostats.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has developed a website for residents to learn about mercury, including understanding its environmental and public health impacts, safely managing products and wastes that contain it, and finding out what state government is doing to reduce and ultimately eliminate the mercury threat. The website also provides information about where to recycle mercury-added products, including a number of municipal collection locations.
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