Light Rant

I stitch under my magna-light at night but have a regular 100 Watt bulb
in the table lamp beside me. It came on our news last week that we can
no longer use these regular bulbs, but have to use those silly bulbs
that look like a twisted tube. They emit mercury, have to be thrown into
a special landfill when they burn out and the warning reads not to touch
it if it breaks. Looks like I'll be finding new friends in the U.S. to
snail mail me a few bulbs if mine burn out before my passport arrives.
lol Either that or I'll be using my magna-light for more than
stitching! What is our government thinking?!

Maureen

Australia phased out incandescent bulbs some time ago - and I found the
change perfectly painless. Yes it is true that you should be careful about
where and how you dispose of the compact fluorescent thingies, but it isn't
really any more challenging than being discerning about what goes into your
recycling bin. I don't care for the 'warm white' lights, but have changed
all mine over to the day white, and even my collection of crystal lamps all
look just fine with CF lights in them, in the case of the older crystal
lamps, they are even better as the new lights don't give off heat at
anything like an incandescent does, so I'm no longer in fear of the heat
breaking the crystal. Like all new things we just have to make a leap of
mindset.

Joanne


"Maureen Grace-Miller" wrote in message
...
I stitch under my magna-light at night but have a regular 100 Watt bulb
in the table lamp beside me. It came on our news last week that we can
no longer use these regular bulbs, but have to use those silly bulbs
that look like a twisted tube. They emit mercury, have to be thrown into
a special landfill when they burn out and the warning reads not to touch
it if it breaks. Looks like I'll be finding new friends in the U.S. to
snail mail me a few bulbs if mine burn out before my passport arrives.
lol Either that or I'll be using my magna-light for more than
stitching! What is our government thinking?!

Maureen

wrote:

They've been phased out here too and I see no loss. When they first
came out, what maybe ten years ago, they were bad for altering
colours, particularly in things like glass ornaments, but they seem to
have overcome that now.

The problem isn't the colour range but the fact that they contain
Mercury which is VERY nasty stuff! I KNOW they have to be disposed of
properly but why in the world make something that can put Mercury into
any sort of landfill?? "They" (whoever "they" are) have come out with
an LED bulb that *looks* like a regular incandescent bulb, screws into a
regular socket and lasts for about a bazillion years!! You can get
"natural" light, too. Unfortunately, they cost a quntillion dollars
each so it will be awhile before any of us can afford them -- LOL! It's
nice to know they are out there tho' and will be affordable sometime in
the future -- at least for our grand kids!!! CiaoMeow ^;;^
--
PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ (RCTQ Queen of Kitties)
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about
their whiskers!
Visit my Photo albums at http://community.webshots.com/user/tiamary

I'm of two minds on these "new" bulbs. Yes - better lifetime, low electric
consumption. But the average man on the street doesn't understand that the
mercury in them is a poison and that they must go in a special recycling bin
when they eventually burn out. And that if they break in the home/office,
the bits need special handling. And frankly, these do scare me for just that
reason.

In my town, you must bring CF's to the "transfer station", which is only
open Saturdays, April to November from 7 AM to 4 PM. At least I can take ink
carts and cell phones to town hall for "recycling". And given how many TVs,
computers and other such items that are supposed to go to the transfer
station for disposal that litter the landscape (some jerk dumped a big
screen TV in my cul-de-sac last fall rather than pay the fees and I can
easily think of 5-6 places where there are electronics sitting on the
roadside on streets I travel frequently), light bulbs aren't going to make
it there either, even if it's free.

Sorry - mercury lingers in the environment far to long, I think these are
saving the planet to destroy it later.

Cheryl
Rant off - posting a different rant shortly

On 1/27/11 7:54 AM, in article ,
" wrote:

On Thu, 27 Jan 2011 07:45:55 -0500, Cheryl Isaak
wrote:

I'm of two minds on these "new" bulbs. Yes - better lifetime, low electric
consumption. But the average man on the street doesn't understand that the
mercury in them is a poison and that they must go in a special recycling bin
when they eventually burn out. And that if they break in the home/office,
the bits need special handling. And frankly, these do scare me for just that
reason.

In my town, you must bring CF's to the "transfer station", which is only
open Saturdays, April to November from 7 AM to 4 PM. At least I can take ink
carts and cell phones to town hall for "recycling". And given how many TVs,
computers and other such items that are supposed to go to the transfer
station for disposal that litter the landscape (some jerk dumped a big
screen TV in my cul-de-sac last fall rather than pay the fees and I can
easily think of 5-6 places where there are electronics sitting on the
roadside on streets I travel frequently), light bulbs aren't going to make
it there either, even if it's free.

Sorry - mercury lingers in the environment far to long, I think these are
saving the planet to destroy it later.

Cheryl
Rant off - posting a different rant shortly

You maybe need to get City Hall to change. We can safely dispose of
things at the recycling centre pretty much anytime, any day. We also
recycle old televisions and electronics, mostly because we don't want
them being shipped to third world countries where children are left to
pick them apart with terrible consequences.


Every time the subject of extended hours for the transfer station comes up
at Town Meeting or on the ballot, it gets a "not recommended" as a "burden
on the tax payers". And the CFL drop off box was nixed as a potentially
hazardous situation.


Cheryl

On Jan 27, 7:45*am, Cheryl Isaak wrote:
I'm of two minds on these "new" bulbs. Yes - better lifetime, low electric
consumption. But the average man on the street doesn't understand that the
mercury in them is a poison and that they must go in a special recycling bin
when they eventually burn out. And that if they break in the home/office,
the bits need special handling. And frankly, these do scare me for just that
reason.

In my town, you must bring CF's to the "transfer station", which is only
open Saturdays, April to November from 7 AM to 4 PM. At least I can take ink
carts and cell phones to town hall for "recycling". And given how many TVs,
computers and other such items that are supposed to go to the transfer
station for disposal that litter the landscape (some jerk dumped a big
screen TV in my cul-de-sac last fall rather than pay the fees and I can
easily think of 5-6 places where there are electronics sitting on the
roadside on streets I travel frequently), light bulbs aren't going to make
it there either, even if it's free.

Sorry - mercury lingers in the environment far to long, I think these are
saving the planet to destroy it later.

Cheryl
Rant off - posting a different rant shortly

Not just the mercury but it's been discovered in CA that they
don't last nearly as long as expected and thus don't save as
much electricity and promised. DB put some in his lamps and
low and behold one of the new fangled blubs lasted for a shorter
period of time than the old ones

DM with her macular degeneration discovered she didn't get
as much light as she needed. Still needs the light from her
Ottlite and her Dazor lamp. We stuck them in the dining room
so we don't have to change them and folks don't need them
for reading.

Nancy

Nope, some areas of the US are outlawing incandescent bulbs, too. *I
have stocked up -- there's a lifetime supply of Verilux Tru-Color bulbs
stashed away.

--



They are going to be totally phased out in the US by 2014. I'm like
you, Karen, I'm
stocking up!!

I hate the CFLs........not nearly bright enough and last about 15
minutes!!

Trading one evil for another......contaminate with mercury to save on
electricity!!

just me,
Cathy from KY in CA

On 1/27/11 10:20 AM, in article ,
" wrote:

On Thu, 27 Jan 2011 09:38:42 -0500, Cheryl Isaak
wrote:



Every time the subject of extended hours for the transfer station comes up
at Town Meeting or on the ballot, it gets a "not recommended" as a "burden
on the tax payers". And the CFL drop off box was nixed as a potentially
hazardous situation.


Cheryl

I have to say every time I have gone there, there are other people, so
it would seem build it and they will come.

Several places offer to take old computers etc so they can cannibilise
them and make working ones for mostly older people who just want
something to email their kids etc. Recently my old DVD
player/recorder went tits up and before I took it to recycling I asked
about it on my local group - it was picked up by someone I had not
seen in years (so that was great fun) he has fixed it and they have
passed it on to a senior couple who can now rent movies to watch. It
would have cost me an arm and two legs to consider repairing it so it
was a plus, plus situation.


I think people would use the extended hours but the town seems to think they
can't afford to fund it.

I know they sell the metals and the old electronics for "parts"

But sadly, even with more hours, there are a fair number that won't bring
them in to be recycled either because of the fees or just plain lazy.