The editorial “Recycle the bulb” (Oct. 28) is timely and thought provoking. We find that most environmental issues are so complex that any remedial action on one end can have an adverse impact on another. Through government subsidy and vigorous awareness campaigns, CFLs found their way into every household, replacing ordinary bulbs. But that has opened up new problems of mercury pollution.
Now most of the electric light companies manufacture CFLs and it appears that there is no effective quality control of their products. The result is that more and more used CFLs end up in the wasteyards polluting the land, soil and water.
K.V. Ravindran,
Payyanur
Proper recycling of the bulb is the answer to pollution caused by mercury. But an even better way would be to replace bulbs with light emitting diode (LED) lamps. LEDs are more energy efficient and they do not cause pollution.
Thejus Joseph Jose,
Kottayam
