Associated Press | Home furnishings retailer Ikea plans to start
pulling incandescent light bulbs from its U.S. stores starting in
August.
Ikea says that it hopes to have all incandescent bulbs
out of its U.S. stores by Jan. 1, in favor of other longer-lasting
bulbs.
That’s ahead of federal legislation that calls for a phaseout beginning in 2012.
Ikea, a Swedish retailer with U.S. headquarters in Conshohocken, Pa., says customers will have more efficient options including compact fluorescent bulbs, LED and halogen lamps.
The company says the voluntary phaseout is one of its environmental initiatives aimed at increasing energy efficiency and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Ikea has more than 300 stores in 37 countries, including 37 in the U.S.
Do they turn off the lights in their store parking lots at night? No.. Hypocrites.
The oven light in my kitchen range is incandescent– presumably because the electronics in a CF lamp (or LEDs for that mattter) couldn’t take the heat.
And so are the lamps in the microwave oven, and inside the refrigerator. And why not– these lamps won’t get 100 hours of use in a decade, so why not use something that’s simple, reliable, and inexpensive?
Light fixtures in closets are seldom left on for more than a few minutes– so why spend more for a CF lamp that costs more, takes a few minutes to reach full brightness, and won’t last for more than a small fraction of its rated hours with this short on-time anyway?
I surely don’t care whether Ikea sells the dang things or not, but, forbidding anyone to sell them when they remain the best available technology in at least a few applications is at least annoying.
More expensive bulbs, yes. Longer lasting, not by a longshot.
If all of this is so good for us, when are the cities and towns going to face some TIME requirements to replace ALL their bulbs (building and street) with more efficient bulbs? That, supposidly, would save us all a fortune (hahahahaha).
How about new nation-wide building requirements that ALL materials be eco-friendly, green, or whatever they’re calling it now?
Enough of all the nickel-and-dime piecemeal stuff. S**t or get off the pot!
so i guess ikea does NOT have a company policy towards being environmentally friendly! seems a shame since they are HQ’d in eco crazed europe.
remember people that these CFL bulbs can NOT, i repeat can NOT be just thrown away in the trash as we are all so used to doing with incandesent bulbs. the CFL’s contain mercury, which is a dangerous substance if not disposed of properly. yet 99% of americans will continue to just toss the new bulbs out with all the other trash creating giant superfund sites at all of our landfills nationwide.
aren’t you glad that your government is going to force all americans to use these bulbs in the near future and ban incandecants which are not harmful(other than maybe a cut from broken glass).
wake up people and do some reading before you believe everthing that is spoon fed to you!!!!
Most of the lights in my home are on dimmers and I understand you can only use incandescent bulbs in them because the others will cause a fire. I understand these “new” longer lasting bulbs contain mercury. So, more deadly pollution?!
From Energystar.gov:
How should I clean up a broken CFL bulb?
Because CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, EPA recommends the following clean-up and disposal guidelines:
1. Before Clean-up: Air Out the Room
• Have people and pets leave the room, and don’t let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
• Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
• Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.
2. Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces
• Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass pieces and powder.
• Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.
• Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.
3. Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug:
• Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
• If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
• Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.
4. Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding, etc.:
• If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. Do not wash such clothing or bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.
• You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
• If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.
5. Disposal of Clean-up Materials
• Immediately place all clean-up materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash pickup.
• Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
• Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states do not allow such trash disposal. Instead, they require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a local recycling center.
6. Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rug: Air Out the Room During and After Vacuuming
• The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window before vacuuming.
• Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.
I’ve been a materials scientist for over 50 years and have often used mercury in experimental apparatus. I have often had to clean up mercury spills.
The method which Energystar recommends will NOT removed mercury from a rug, nor from a tile or wood floor because mercury gets into the weave of the rug and into the cracks in the tile and wood floor. One in the weave or cracks mercury can not be removed with a vacuum cleaner because mercury is very dense and has such a high surface tension.
The only way to remove mercury from these floors is to sprinkle very fine sulfur power or zinc dust on the area of the mercury spill and allow a few hours for the sulfur or zinc to form a solid amalgamate with the mercury. The much less dense solid amalgam can then be removed by vacuum cleaning. A HEPA vacuum cleaner must be used to avoid distributing the mercury amalgam powder in the room area.