Last December, EU member states approved in Brussels, a Commission regulation that calls of phasing out incandescent bulbs by 2012. Incandescent bulbs are energy guzzlers and are fast being replaced by CFLs(Compact Flourescent Bulbs) which use about 75% less energy.

Whats the benefit?

It is estimated that by forcing this shift from incandescent to energy saving bulbs, energy equivalent to the yearly output of 10 power stations of 500 MW will be saved. And talking in terms of carbon footprint, this would mean a reduction of 15 million tons of CO2 emissions per year. Plus, on an average, there are projected to be savings of Euro 25-50 per household per annum on electicity bills. Hurray! Hope the responsible authorities in other countries take notice (and inspiration) from this agreement and enforce similar regulations in their own countries.

So is the shift to CFL the no-problem solution?

Well, in our excitement, lets not forget that CFLs too are not trouble-free. They will one day compound the problem of disposal. CFLs contain mercury, albeit in very small amounts. However, assuming that every household, office, store moves to CFL, we’ll soon have mountain loads of used CFLs posing a humungous disposal problem.

CFLs can-not be simply put into trash bins. Most people are unaware of this and used CFLs end up making their way with general household trash and eventually into landfills. And given its extremely toxic nature, Mercury then contaminates land, water and air. Not enough to cause panic as of now, but authorities do need to plan out the disposal before it reaches panic causing levels. Currently, given the complete absence of any special disposal authorities, all CFL waste in our country ends up in landfills.

Again, one must be careful that CFLs do not break during transportation or handling. If broken, it mustn’t be handled with bare hands and caution must be taken while collecting and disposing the fragments.

Tags: ecofriendly lighting, incandescent bulb to cfl, reducing greenhouse emissions