• CFL light bulbs use less energy, but must be carefully used.Cfl fluorescent lightbulb on dark background image by Silverpics from Fotolia.com
  
  Compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs use much less energy than traditional light bulbs and save consumers money on their electrical bills over time. But CFLs also contain small amounts of mercury, a neurotoxin that is especially dangerous to children and fetuses. Ingesting mercury is hazardous to your health. Although CFLs contain less mercury than when they were first introduced, they still contain small amounts and need to be carefully handled.
  
  

Disposal

• Since CFLs contain mercury, they should not be thrown away with household trash. It's very easy for the bulbs to be broken even if you wrap them or keep them in a container. Workers dealing with waste may be exposed to high levels of mercury when the bulbs are thrown away with household trash. If the bulbs break near a house, the soil can be contaminated by the mercury.
  
  

Recycling

• The best option to dispose of CFL bulbs is recycling. Unfortunately, most curb-side recycling services do not accept CFL bulbs. Some retailers that sell CFL bulbs do have recycling containers in their stores, but many consumers don't consider this a very convenient option and continue to throw the bulbs away in their household garbage.
  
  

Broken bulbs

• CFL bulbs are made of glass and can break just as easily as any other light bulb. But when a CFL bulb is broken in your home, you have to be very cautious. After a CFL bulb is broken, you must open a window and have all people and pets leave the room for at least 15 minutes. If you have central air or a forced-air heating system, it must be shut off. If the broken bulb came in contact with clothing or bedding, those items must be thrown away. Everything used to clean up the broken bulb and pieces must be sealed in plastic and thrown away.