DEC 22

I agree -- it's great that ACE is offering recycling, but they aren't making it easy. Last week, my husband and I sheepishly toted in a small box of stuff we were hoping to properly discard: an old mercury thermostat, a canister full of regular batteries, a broken CFL, and two old Braun electric toothbrushes with NiCad batteries. We were directed back to "electrical" and waited around for an available salesperson, who kindly took the CFL and thermostat. A drop-off would have saved us those 15 minutes...although on the other hand, I guess it's a good screening process for them. Unfortunately, those toothbrushes will be staying in the garage awhile longer: Braun only offers recycling in Europe.

The Home Depot provides recycling as well:

http://www6.homedepot.com/ecooptions/ then 'CFL Recycling'

Haven't tried it (my CFLs are still burning bright), but sounds like it's slightly more visible.

Are there ways to safely recycle without any hazardous wastes produced?

I see all the articles about CFL lighting and have bought into the idea of them being better and lasting longer but, at least in my no pet no child no crazy jostling of anything house, the CFLs are getting replaced faster then the existing incandescent bulbs. I wonder has anyone else has had this experience? Seriously the last four bulbs I replaced were all CFLs and I have several incandescents that I have had in place for a number of years just waiting to burn out but they don't...all the bulbs get used at/for similar times and they have even occasionally been rotated when a bulb burns out before I can get to a store so its not even a certain outlet that is a potential culprit. after a few burned out, I even bought a different brand of CFLs and both name brand CFLs have been shorter lived then the incandescent bulbs that have even moved with me into new appartments. What gives? Have CFL manufacturers not been held to task for quality manufacturing because they receive such good press that they feel they don't actually have to make a product that lasts as long as it is assumed that they will? does everyone just think in their heads that the CFLs although much more expensive will last longer and then forget to notice that the bulbs fail to operate six months to a year later...or do I simply live in some odd CFL implosion zone that I was unaware of when signing my lease? I guess I at least know where to go in the future, sorry landfill.

I have had a problem with the brand name bulbs - GE and Sylvania but the Lights Of America bulbs that I put in the kitchen, laundry room, hallway, living room and computer room in 2002 are still burning bright.

Some light fixtures are not CFL compatible and cause the CFL to burn out sooner than expected. I have had a similar experience with old recessed light fixtures in my kitchen. In some cases, it's the fixture and not the lamp (or bulb)that is energy efficient.

All 35 bulbs in my house are CFL, and have been so for at least 4 years. I have only replaced 2 bulbs in that time. I am not sure why you are having such a problem, but I do know that the technology is improving.

Older CFLs were quite a disappointment. I've found that the new CFLs work just fine. All the CFLs we purchased in the last three years still work and four provide our main interior light source. The newer CFLs light quicker and the color is better.

I also suspected that my CFL's don't last any longer, at least in the garage (haven't had to replace the ones in the living room yet).

I've recycled CFL's at Home Depot, and it worked exactly as described at Ace: No signs anywhere, and when I asked the rep at the return counter, he held out his hand. I'm always a little suspicious that instead of my garbage can, it just ends up in HD's. I know, I'm a cynic.

I had a similar problem with CFLs burning out before their time but then learned that they die faster if you turn them on and off frequently. Though it is totally contrary to my nature as an energy conserver, leaving CFLs on for long periods of time increases their life.

Even if CFLs last the same amount of time or even shorter. They use a fraction of the power when they are "alive." So you save energy anyway--but then there is the immediate cost (as opposed to the cost of the planet). It's true that "on/off" a lot during one evening wears on them, but it also helps to have fixtures that are low-wattage to begin with, so the bulbs do not get too hot. I have had a couple of fixtures that simply would not work with CFLs--they kept burning out. Use them in fixtures that require 40 Watts or less and you will have better success.

My local ACE wanted to charge 75 cents per bulb. I don't see anything on the ACE hardware web page that says anything about recycling.

Leaving your CFL's on for long periods of time does not lengthen their lifetimes. What does lengthen their lifetimes is not turning them on and off frequently. For example, if you leave a room, and you will only be gone for a few minutes, turning off the CFL as you leave and turning it back on when you return does shorten the lifetime of the CFL compared to leaving the CFL on while you are out of the room. It also uses more energy if you turn it off and on instead of leaving it on.

How long must your CFL be off before you save energy and lengthen its lifetime by turning it off and on instead of leaving it on? I have heard that several minutes is long enough. That's not more precise because a) it will vary by manufacturer, model, and individual bulb, and b) the breakeven points for energy savings and lengthened lifetime differ.

I think that most of the time, it is clear cut. If you are only going to leave the room for a few minutes (to get a sandwich for instance), it makes sense to leave the CFL on. If you are going to be gone for 20 minutes or more, it makes sense to turn off the CFL. For the times in between, guess. If I wasn't fairly certain that I would be gone for only a few minutes, I would turn off the CFL; rarely do I overestimate the time it takes to do something.

The best way to lengthen the CFL's lifetime and save energy is to leave them off, of course. I am looking for a timer for my hall lights that will turn the lights on for 30 seconds or so. Then I will use incandescent bulbs in the hall, since for such a short time, it makes more sense than a CFL. We often leave the hall lights on unnecessarily. My dorm in Spain (many years ago) had hall lights on a timer. We'd push the light button and run down the hallway before the lights went out again. That timer was set too short. I'll set my hall timer to allow myself a leisurely stroll down my very short hallway, knowing that the electric energy used in those extra seconds is inconsequential compared to the energy saved by not accidentally leaving the hall light on.

I just took in two fluorescent bulbs into the ACE Hardware on Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando and they looked at me like I was crazy. I checked with the register girl and the guy in charge and they were like no we don't do that here. I had to leave with my bulbs. I recycled them at my work.

So I guess not all ACE Hardware stores do this. I also searched the web and the ACE website and couldn't find where ACE had released this information.

Does anyone have an actual link to ACE saying they do this?