Late last week I had a 13 watt Compact Fluorescent Bulb on my enclosed back patio go bad.

I noticed that when I flipped on the switch, the CFL bulb didn't come on.

Hmm...

On closer inspection, I noted that the body on one side of the tube looked discolored, brown and appeared to have gotten mighty hot.

As soon as I grabbed the bulb to twist it out of the socket, I noted the sound and feel of cracked glass. The tube had somehow failed.

At this point, it no longer is just a matter of unscrewing it and putting in a new one. This bulb is now HAZARDOUS MATERIAL and needs to be dealt with as such.

Here is a link to the EPA that lists all local collection and recycling centers:

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/id/univwast/lamps/live.htm

Here is a link to the VIDEO:  http://www.greenerhomeowner.com/drupal/cfl-disposal

LED Bulbs: Efficient lighting is here to stay..... - The introduction of LED light bulbs into the market has been hindered due to several factors. Namely: lumens (brightness) color (led produce blue radiance vs. white) market promotion and affordability. Although LED bulbs for residential and commercial applications are not quite where they need to be, they are starting to scratch their way into the market this year with more force than ever before. [ENN Green Building]

On the Horizon and Here Today: LED Alternatives to Linear Fluorescents - NATIONAL REPORT—In meeting rooms, back of house and other areas of your hotel, chances are great that you are using T-12 fluorescent lamps or the more efficient T-8s to illuminate large spaces. At least two companies—ilumisys, Inc. in Troy, Mich., and LEDdynamics, Inc. in Randolph, Vt.—are trying to replace these linear fluorescents with LED alternatives that are more energy efficient and safer for the environment. Fluorescent tubes include mercury and despite recycling efforts, 500 million to 600 million lamps end up in landfills each year. LED alternatives do not include mercury. [ENN Green Building]

Thomas Edison would be rolling in his grave if he knew that his most notable invention, the Incandescent Light Bulb, has been marked for phase out by Congress in a bill passed on December 18, 2007. Does this mean that we have to rush out and buy all new lighting?