I'm a big proponent of reduce, reuse, and recycle, but today that came back and burned me ... literally. Compact fluorescent lights are the new thing. They use significantly less energy and certain countries have even made them standard.

This afternoon I put in a Compact Fluourescent Light bulb in a lamp in my bedroom. I screwed the bulb in only to see flames and smoke spew from the bulb. For a second I panicked. I turned off the extension cord and opened the door to clear the smell.

But no, no, no. The lightbulb was not through with me. 15 Minutes later I unscrewed the bulb and carried it into the kitchen when out of nowhere the thing begins to spark! I must be quite an energy source.

Scared that this thing might spontaneously combust, I quickly tossed it safely outside ... away from anything that could catch fire. Fluorescent light bulbs contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing, that is why there are actual EPA recommended guidelines for the clean-up and disposal of broken CFL bulbs. Carefully recycling CFLs prevents the release of mercury into the environment and allows for the reuse of glass, metals and other materials that make up fluorescent lights.

My parents use the spiral CFL bulbs all over the house: in the garage, down in the basement, in the track-lighting, and even on the outside deck. They love them. But I think I'll stick with good old-fashioned light bulbs from now on in my bedroom. I know my parents will be happy that I didn't burn the house down.


UPDATE: The reason the CFL bulb sparked was that I didn't buy the right Watt size. I had no idea they came in so many different sizes. My Dad took me to our local Hardware store to buy some replacement bulbs. Oh well..now I know.