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

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?