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Broken CFL's

6/4/2016

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Originally published Mar 30/16   The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

Any material that has a danger symbols on the packaging is hazardous waste. Some examples are aerosol cans, household cleaners, lawns and gardens chemicals, gasoline, and single use propane canisters.

These things can cause serious damage to the environment.

 In past years hazardous waste was collected one afternoon in September at Centoba Park.

The planned construction of a year round Household Hazardous Waste depot at the Flin Flon landfill is a huge step forward in getting rid of garbage responsibly in this community.

An example of the hazards is the mercury in CFL bulbs.  They have a thick white base and use much less energy to light homes. They are harmless unless they break.

The tubes are filled with mercury vapour and particles. Mercury is nasty.

What should you do if one breaks? Health Canada gives the following procedures.

Everyone including pets should leave the area immediately for a few minutes so the mercury vapor can disperse. Do not sweep or vacuum to avoid spreading the mercury around.  

Wear disposable gloves and mask. Scoop up the broken pieces with two pieces of boxboard and put them in a seal-able plastic bag. Large stiff recipe cards work well.

Wipe hard surfaces with a damp paper towel or wipe to collect the powder and small bits.  For soft surfaces, roll strips of packing tape with the sticky side out. Gently pat the area to collect everything.
 
Place the tape, damp towels, gloves, mask and boxboard in the plastic bag with the pieces and seal it.

Store in a safe place until you can bring it to the Recycling Centre for safe disposal.

Remember, the Recycling Centre is collecting fluorescent bulbs from homes only.
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    Deb Odegaard has been with the Flin Flon Community Recycling program since it began  in 1992.  She  became the Administrator in 2013.
    Deb writes a  column 'The Recycling Bin' in The Reminder, Flin Flon's newspaper. Past columns are posted here along with recycling stats  and anything else on her mind. 

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