Review on GE Sprial Compact Fluorescent Watts by Jonathan Collins

I'm not a fan of CFLs as I read a lot and the color of the light isn't the same or as bright. We wanted to try some to test life and we got a couple of these 4 or 5 years ago. We replaced our first lightbulb today and we have certainly reached the expected lifespan of the lightbulb. It was a timer that ran 4-6 hours a day for 5 years and had just gone off. This bulb claims 15 watts and produces light equivalent to a 60 watt incandescent bulb while saving $36 on bulb life. Can't vouch for energy savings but I'm impressed with the lamp life. Now that I have read the replacement bulb packaging, I have seen that these bulbs contain mercury and am wondering how to dispose of it safely. Have I reduced my carbon footprint only to expose the environment to mercury poison and pollution? I have now discovered that there is a website dedicated to recycling these types of lamps and that many states have laws prohibiting their disposal in bulky waste. This assumes you can take your lightbulbs to the many major hardware stores that have recycling facilities in your area. Just ask online and you will find several places nearby that can help you. You may have to drive, reduce your carbon footprint and pay expensive gas bills that need to be deducted from your electricity savings to achieve reasonable running costs. Wasn't life easier in the past?