TAKE A STEP: SWITCH TO COMPACT FLUORESCENT BULBS

Replacing just one, frequently used, conventional lightbulb at your home with a compact fluorescent can save you money on your utility bill and will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. If every household in the United States replaced one incandescent light bulb in their home with a compact fluorescent, it would save 90 million pounds of global warming pollution over the lifetime of the bulbs. This would be equal to taking 6.3 million cars off the road. Though compact fluorescent light bulbs are more expensive than conventional light bulbs, they last 10 times longer. One bulb can lower your energy bill by $15 annually and reduce your CO2 emissions by 150 lbs.

Fluorescent bulbs require special handling because of the trace of mercury they contain. In California, regulations require that all discarded fluorescent lamps and tubes be treated as hazardous waste.

Californians should take their used fluorescent lamps and tubes to be recycled or disposed of as a household hazardous waste disposal facility or an authorized recycling facility. You can learn more about the California law and recycling opportunities in your region at: http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/WPIE/FluoresLamps/

Take a step and switch out a lightbulb.

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