Help pls-slight chemically smell coming off enerysaver lightbulb

Barneysmom

Don't worry about the bulb you've already thrown away, it'll be at the bottom of landfill by now and no harm to anyone.

bundance

I was puzzled because the bulb in question is still working, yet there is a slight chemical smell coming from it.
Is this mercury?


ps I have now put it in a plastic bag waiting for my friend to come and collect it to dispose of it.

ra200

You should not dispose of compact fluorescent light bulbs in the bin the packaging that comes on most bulbs now tells you this many supermarkets and diy shops have bins to dispose of them some Sainsbury’s stores have a special bin near the recycling facilities to dispose of them,

bundance

ra200 wrote: »

You should not dispose of compact fluorescent light bulbs in the bin the packaging that comes on most bulbs now tells you this many supermarkets and diy shops have bins to dispose of them some Sainsbury’s stores have a special bin near the recycling facilities to dispose of them,

Will sainsburys bins take broken bulbs as well?

The problem is, I will have to wait until next week for the bulbs to be disposed of properly.
Meanwhile the waste is in a bag in my flat, as I havent got a garden.

There must be many people without transport who cannot dispose of these things immediately, what do they all do?

I know my disposed bulb will be at the bottom of a landfill by now, but by binning them in the normal rubbish, could I have caused serious injury or illness to people working on the bins or on the landfill site?

macman

No you could not. Please don't worry about it. It's completely harmless where it is until you can arrange disposal.

scbk

bundance wrote: »

There must be many people without transport who cannot dispose of these things immediately, what do they all do?

They put them in the bin :A

jc808

bundance wrote: »

I get paranoid about things which I dont know about, such as hazardous waste, and this is why I try to ask questions about it to find out and learn.

and get more and more anxious about. Just chillax, it could be worse... you could have cancer...

aboard_epsilon

bundance wrote: »

I was puzzled because the bulb in question is still working, yet there is a slight chemical smell coming from it.
Is this mercury?


ps I have now put it in a plastic bag waiting for my friend to come and collect it to dispose of it.

probably ozone, now you have something else to worry about

Yorkie1

Don't worry, you are at no risk and you haven't caused any others to be at risk either.

If the bulb has actually smashed, then I don't think you can take it to Sainsburys. But it hasn't smashed, and there is no hazard caused by it being in your flat until taken to the tip by your friend.

rich_jtg

bundance wrote: »

thanks for your help, pls can I ask another question?

I did dispose of a broken bulb once by just putting it in the bin, could I have put others at risk by doing this?

No one else would have been at risk. The powder (and shards of glass) are only dangerous if you're in contact with them.

As people have mentioned, the bulb was in the bin, then buried into landfill so no one will have touched it to be put at risk.