The Leonard Lopate Show

Do the compact Florescent lights contain mercury and if so what happens to the used lights when they end up in a land fill?

Are we subsituting one problem for another?

I was just having a discussion with my girlfriend about that same issue, concerning the mercury in Compact Fluorescent lights. What's the deal? Does saving on carbon emissions balance out the mercury being deposited into landfills? Does the government have a plan to dispose of these bulbs safely? Is there a safe way to dispose of mercury?

By the way, Mr Begley, I love your work!

My husband and I have made many green commitments at home and it's going really well, but a big obstacle is the town we live in recycles very little--the only paper is newspapers and magazines, the only plastic is jars and jugs, the only metal is cans. On top of it, we can't even cart in other stuff we've sorted out ourselves. The municipal recycling center will only accept the stuff that they pick up curbside anyway. What can I do to recycle cardboard boxes and office paper, yogurt containers and such?

I lived in Los Angeles from 1979 to 1984 and never owned a car. I was in much better shape, as I'd walk any distance 3 miles or less, and I found the bus system to work very well, even back then! I can't imagine how much better it is today.

There's a shop on 60th between 2nd and 3rd aves. that sells only lightbulbs - you can recycle fluorescents for $2 a bulb. They last longer than incandescents so maybe it evens out costwise -

Is there such thing as green air conditioning?

Could you suggest a green alternative for a NYC apartment dweller/renter - something portable?

Thanks

some useful info:

1. someone from the lower east side ecology center, the people who collect compost in union square and do electronics recycling drives, told me that 20%, that is 20 cents on every co-op dollar we pay in taxes goes to sanitation - so that means that when we recycle, we're actually saving money on those taxes by NOT throwing out the capital/the trash, that makes that tax money back by lowering our overall sanitation bill.

Or as i always tell my friends, 'i hate paying rent for garbage'. nowadays, we also pay transportation with the current gas prices too.

2. to get my young nephews to turn off the lights, i would tell them, 'turn off the lights, more money for toys'. they like that a lot.

what a great show!

I heard solar cells are very damaging for the environment because they cannot be recylced - they contain high amounts of mercury - and because their manufacture involces a large amount of mercury as well . . .

I saw Nigerian refrigerators - I want to find them - two crockery containers with wet sand in the middle keeps veggies fresh

About green apartments, it should be mentioned that the simple fact of living in an apartment is more eco-friendly than living in a house, even if it is not feasible to make eco-friendly changes

The mercury in CFCs is an important issue that needs to be addressed as they become more prevalent. But in terms of environmental impact the energy savings that they provide over their (longer) life-cycle prevents a much larger release of the many toxins related to electricity generation.

The same goes with photo-voltaic cells. Their ability to be recycled must be considered against how recyclable their alternative is, such as a coal-fired power plant. The net environmental and public health gains of using a clean, renewable technology, while still having room for improvement, is huge.

I also am wondering about the mercury content in these bulbs. It is my understanding that all fluorescent bulbs vaporize mercury in the tube to conduct the plasma that creates the light. They are obviously more expensive, and if they also contain mercury, they absolutely should not be used as a substitute for perfectly good and inexpensive (both in cost and carbon used in manufacturing) metal filament incandescent bulbs.

I have used ceder oil to deter ants with pretty good success in my kitchen. I have not tried to kill them off

entirely just send them away. I just spray a little along the wall by the window where they have found cracks in the wall. The oil can be purchased in a shop that sell storage boxes and ceder shoe racks etc.