April 18, 2008, Markham, ON ~ Markham encourages residents to safely dispose of compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. The Town is offering a free replacement CFL bulb to the first 1,000 residents who return burnt-out bulbs to one of Markham’s recycling depots, starting April 19.

“Many consumers aren’t aware that CFL bulbs contain trace elements of mercury, a toxic substance,” says Viive Sawler, Manager of the Markham Energy Conservation Office. “As a result, CFL bulbs must not go into curbside waste. Nor can they be recycled through the blue box program. Using CFL bulbs is a great energy-saving choice and disposing of them safely is both important and easy.”

At present, Markham’s four recycling depots accept spent CFL bulbs and tubes. The Town uses the services of Fluorescent Lamp Recyclers Inc. to properly dispose of and recycle these items.

“It’s so important that these bulbs stay out of landfill. We’re making it easy and convenient for Markham residents to dispose of them properly,” says Claudia Marsales, Manager of Waste Management. “We exploring the opportunity to create more CFL bulb drop-off points throughout the community this year—at the Markham Civic Centre, recreation centres and libraries. It’s all part of Markham’s effort to become a Zero-Waste community.”