Since it's now widely known that fluorescent light bulbs contain small amounts of mercury (sealed within the glass chamber), there's lots of curiosity about what to do with them when they burn out. One option is to take them to periodic disposal days at the Mercer County Improvement Authority site.
Since a long drive to dispose of a couple bulbs makes little sense, members of the Princeton Environmental Commission have been seeking out a location in Princeton where residents can drop off burned out fluorescents. Fortunately, a local business is generously offering to recycle your bulbs at no cost. You can take them to The Light Gallery at the Princeton Shopping Center. They accept fluorescent bulbs of all kinds--long, short, compact--from any resident of Princeton (not from businesses). If you have more than a few bulbs, you'll want to check with them first (924-6878).
The people at The Light Gallery then put the bulbs in specially designed boxes and ship them off to a plant in Bethlehem, PA for recycling.
More info:
According to Chip Crider, a local resident and businessman who looked into the matter, there are six companies recycling CFLs in the U.S. They crush the bulbs in sealed chambers and retrieve as much mercury as they can. The Bethlehem, PA recycle plant is the only one that also tries to retrieve the portion of mercury that becomes adhered to the glass, apparently by heating the material to high temperatures.
Since a long drive to dispose of a couple bulbs makes little sense, members of the Princeton Environmental Commission have been seeking out a location in Princeton where residents can drop off burned out fluorescents. Fortunately, a local business is generously offering to recycle your bulbs at no cost. You can take them to The Light Gallery at the Princeton Shopping Center. They accept fluorescent bulbs of all kinds--long, short, compact--from any resident of Princeton (not from businesses). If you have more than a few bulbs, you'll want to check with them first (924-6878).
The people at The Light Gallery then put the bulbs in specially designed boxes and ship them off to a plant in Bethlehem, PA for recycling.
More info:
According to Chip Crider, a local resident and businessman who looked into the matter, there are six companies recycling CFLs in the U.S. They crush the bulbs in sealed chambers and retrieve as much mercury as they can. The Bethlehem, PA recycle plant is the only one that also tries to retrieve the portion of mercury that becomes adhered to the glass, apparently by heating the material to high temperatures.
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