Recycle Compact Fluorescent Bulbs, Seven Gen Student Says

Special to Emmaus Patch by Rebekah Brosky

Picture this, a big trash truck comes into a landfill and crushes a Compact Fluorescent Light bulb (CFL). The mercury comes out and soaks into the groundwater. Then a poor baby animal could drink it and slowly but surely it could kill the poor animal because mercury is toxic. I think we should create more places to recycle CFLs.        

Whenever you throw away a Compact Fluorescent Light bulb, guess where it goes? To the landfill. What if it rolls off the pile of trash and a trash truck crushes it and the mercury soaks into the ground? It could get into a lake or river and an animal could drink it and die because of the toxic mercury. Also if animals eat the glass it can scratch their throats and kill them.

I think we are getting rid of more CFLs because we are getting more and more houses and they need light so they buy CFLs. Also they buy CFLs because they save energy. The problem is they do not know how to dispose of them safely.

I think we should have more places to recycle CFLs other than Lowes and Home Depot because some people do not live near Lowes or Home Depot. Another way to recycle CFLs is a VaporLok bag. VaporLok bags are specially designed bags that hold up 23 Watts. Bring your CFL in the VaporLok bag to a place that will not end up in a landfill. Also hazardous waste recycling is where someone can pick up or drop off something and make sure it does not go to the landfill.

I think we should have more places to recycle CFLs. I think CFLs are bad for wildlife, and we are getting rid of more CFLs every year. I think we should have more places to recycle CFLs. Find your nearest recycling option and recycle your CFLs today.

Rebekah Brosky, of Alburtis, is a currently a 4th grade student at Seven Generations Charter School in Emmaus. Brosky's class has been studying household hazardous waste and the students wrote opinion articles on the topic.