Such a fuss lately about the new, energy-efficient, long-lasting CFL lightbulbs. We all switched to be more green, and adjusted to the slightly odd cast of light and the funny swirls. I personally celebrated when they came out with short ones and different shapes to accommodate my many lamps.
But then opposition (can there really be? But yes there is and spearheaded from Texas no less, of course! Check out this YouTube video a concerned neighbor emailed to me.) made such a fuss, such a hue and cry about the trace amounts of mercury in the bulbs and how they can’t be simply thrown in the trash (no! oh no! one must recycle the bulbs! the horror!).
For the record: I am very perplexed how these politicians can say the uproar about mercury in vaccinations that we inject into small children’s bodies is just fine, but be all up in arms over a trace amount of mercury in light bulbs. Listen, either it’s safe or it’s not safe; frankly, mercury going into the body would worry me more than a small amount in a lightbulb.
But Home Depot has stepped in to make it easy by offering a CFL lightbulb recycling program at their stores—and admit it: we’re all there fairly regularly aren’t we? From Waste News.com (yes, why yes I do subscribe! It’s great, actually, Waste News.):
June 24 — Recycling compact fluorescent light bulbs just got easier. Home Depot announced it will offer free CFL recycling at each of its 1,973 locations.
Customers can drop off expired, unbroken bulbs at the returns counter of any Home Depot store.
The home improvement retailer is beginning the program in response to customers´ concerns about improper disposal of the bulbs, which contain small amounts of mercury.
The national recycling program is the most widespread of its kind and offers an alternative to some existing options — community hazardous waste programs and select retail stores, according to the retailer.
“With more than 75 percent of households located within 10 miles of a Home Depot store, this program is the first national solution to providing Americans with a convenient way to recycle CFLs,” said Ron Jarvis, Home Depot´s senior vice president for environmental innovation.
There—another reason to stop by Home Depot. 
