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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday,
March 4, 2005
Contact:
Rachel
Donnette, Education and Outreach Supervisor, Public Health and Social Services,
Environmental Health Division, 360-754-4111 x7244
Don’t
Trash That Energy-Saving Bulb!
THURSTON COUNTY -- You
may already know that installing
fluorescent lights (compact
fluorescent lamps or linear tubes) in your home saves energy, which means you
save money on your electric utility bill. Their efficiency and long life
offers an easy way for you to help protect the environment by conserving
precious resources and reducing landfill waste.
But did you know that
fluorescent lamps should be disposed of properly with
other household waste products such as pesticides, paint, batteries and
thermostats? Four counties - Thurston, King, Kitsap, and Snohomish - and local
electric utilities have teamed up to create a convenient residential recycling
program for spent compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and linear fluorescent
tubes.
Fluorescent
lamps require trace amounts of mercury in order to work. The amount in CFLs,
for example, is extremely small (five milligrams – about the size of the
very tip of a ballpoint pen), and does not pose an immediate health risk to
you or your family. However, when broken in trashcans, garbage trucks, or
landfills this mercury is released to the environment.
Mercury is a highly toxic element that does not break down.
Continue
to make the right choice for you and the environment by using energy-efficient
products like fluorescent lamps. Take your spent bulbs to one of the retailers
listed below when you go to purchase a replacement. A charge of $0.50 per tube
or bulb is generally charged; however, if you are purchasing a replacement
some stores will waive the recycling fee.
Also, Puget Sound Energy is offering an in-store $0.50 coupon on new
compact fluorescents at these three stores to further encourage recycling.
§
Olympia Supply Co. Inc.,
625 Columbia St. SW
,
Olympia
: 360-357-6659
§
Olympia
Ace Hardware,
400 Cooper Pt Rd
,
Olympia
: 360-236-0093
§
Tenino Ace Hardware, 139 Stage
St.
, Tenino: 360-264-4204
In
the event your bulb breaks, be certain to sweep up – don’t vacuum – all
of the glass fragments and phosphor powder. Place the broken pieces in a
plastic bag and wipe the area with a damp paper towel to pick up any stray
shards of glass or fine particles. Put the used towel in the plastic bag as
well. Take to HazoHouse at the Thurston County Waste and
Recovery
Center
for recycling, which is open Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 8:00 am
– 5:00 pm.
This
pilot recycling project for households will be in place through July 18, 2005.
For fluorescent bulb recycling locations in other parts of the
Puget Sound
area, see www.productstewardship.com.
For more information on this project see www.co.thurston.wa.us/wwm
or call 360-754-4111.
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