"David Hansen" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:48:57 +0000 someone who may be Frank Erskine
wrote this:-

I've just phoned my LA about disposal of CFLs (and indeed normal FL
tubes). The guy there isn't aware of any special arrangements and
advised my to simply put them in the normal wheelie-bin, even though I
did point out to him that they do contain a bit of mercury.

They do and schemes are in place to deal with bulk quantities of
them. In small quantities there is not much harm and the fact that
perfection has not been achieved in disposing of them is not a
reason to avoid using them.

In addition I have heard [1] that using tungsten lamps instead means
that more mercury will be emitted from power stations to provide the
extra electricity than the mercury the compact fluorescent lamp
contains. I assume that this calculation was done using the average
basket of generation types, those who bring up the mercury question
tend not to have 100% green tariffs.

[1] To be fair I did hear it from a party politician representing
the Labour Party, a Westminster Minister of some sort. So the usual
cautions about believing what a representative of the Labour Party
says apply.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

I also heard that there is more radiation emitted from the flue of a gas
fired power station than from a nuclear power station.

Kevin