This blog was started to provide the local community in Birmingham, Alabama with useful info and interesting stories about more than the known, well publicized recycling options in the area. Sure I’ll list those, as links to more detailed sites are always valuable.
But I continue to discover resources that were not available until recently, some in unlikely places, or in new places that seem really obvious once I think about it. And then I get very excited once I find out that these entities (retail and not-so-retail) have finally gotten it. So naturally I want to share.
Discovery of the week: Home Depot accepts those pesky compact flourescent bulbs!
The most obvious type of retailer finally got on the bandwagon for one of the most difficult items to recycle. These are wonderfully energy efficient, and last for years BUT they contain mercury, and if tossed into the trash where they are sure to break, the landfill becomes contaminated and the thing you think you are doing to save the planet becomes an environmental nightmare. Up until this week, all I could find was a light bulb wholesaler that would sell you a special shipping box to collect in for years into the future, then you could ship it to them for recycling. Recharable batteries and cell phones can also be recycled at Home Depot collection centers.
July 14, 2009 at 4:31 am
That’s great information–way to go, Home Depot!