Want to save about $40 in electricity costs for every light bulb in the house? According to the Squamish CAN, you can.
The District of Squamish, Squamish Climate Action Network (CAN) and Rona have joined forces to encourage locals to use compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) by making it easier for them to recycle the cheaper option.
"We all feel that our future depends on the environment and anything we can do to help should be done," said Rona assistant manager Tammy Berry.
She said Rona is adopting several environmentally friendly measures, from getting their employees to outline their eco-friendly ways to carrying eco-friendly paint products.
Small as it is, the mercury content from one fluorescent bulb can pollute 6,000 gallons of water beyond safe drinking levels. But when the bulb remains intact, no mercury is released, so their disposal method is crucial.
Thus the district, Squamish CAN and Rona have stepped up to solve the mercury disposal problem by offering a used CFL collection point downtown. Municipal Hall now has a container in their lobby for locals to dispose of their CFLs, which Squamish CAN volunteers will then take to Rona to send to Aevitas Inc., Rona's recycling partner in Ontario.
"Now its just a question of getting residents used to recycling these things, we need to get the word out," Squamish Can co-ordinator Ana Santos. "So we'll be approaching stores and residents in coming weeks with information pamphlets."
Santos said her group's mission is to help make the town as eco-friendly as possible.
"It's very important to take advantage of these solutions," she said.
Rona has offered the container for a number of years and is hoping the disposal sites downtown will increase their use, said Berry. The current Rona the container, which is quite small, takes approximately six months to fill.
Home Depot and London Drugs have also been collecting the used bulbs, but neither of them have had a large turn out either.
CFLs, more commonly known as energy saving lights, cost slightly more than incandescent lamps, but consume up to 75 per cent less electricity than classic bulbs. They are designed to replace incandescent lamps and can fit into most existing fixtures.
Considered a bright invention by most, they give the same amount of visible light, use less power and have a longer rated life than the classic bulb.
A cost analysis report done by AJ Design calculated that by using a fluorescent bulb over its lifetime of 10,000 hours a customer would save 10 light bulb changes, $40.50 in electricity costs and $1.50 in bulb replacement costs. It also reduces greenhouse gases produced by power plants by 691 pounds of carbon dioxide.
Like all fluorescent lamps, CFLs contain mercury, which complicates their disposal. CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, approximately four milligrams per light bulb, which allows the bulb to be an efficient light source.
In the past few years, the average mercury content has dropped to between 1.4 and 2.5 milligrams per bulb, thanks to advances in technology.
"I know some people are worried about the mercury but the technology is advancing so fast that the amount of mercury is becoming less and less," said Santos. "Maybe soon they will barely use any."
