I must have had my head buried in the sand again. 
I've been using CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) for years now, but never knew that they contained enough Mercury to warrant recycling. D'oh! Thanks to Farookh I've been shown the light [bad pun intended]. So I started searching for how I can recycle these things...
Farookh points to the Northwest Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) Recycling Project as a glimmer of hope, but reviewing the site didn't give me any idea where/how I can recycle CFLs in my area. Besides, the project is 5 years old now, not much of a current resource.
I moved on to my power company's website, Snohomish County PUD. They are certainly promoting the technology by providing a link off their home page to a description of their CFL program. Subsidized discounts on CFLs with local stores...nice.
And off to the left I quickly see the CFL FAQs link, which has a section titled "How do I dispose of a CFL properly?"
Because CFLs contain trace amounts of mercury, the Snohomish County Solid Waste Division wants all burned-out CFLs recycled and removed from the normal waste stream. Burned-out CFLs should be recycled at a Snohomish County Solid Waste facility. For more information, contact the Snohomish County Solid Waste Division at 425-388-3425.
Obviously this isn't the easiest way for regular consumers (like myself) to discard our used CFLs, but being the environmentally conscientious, good citizen I am...off I go to find a list of their waste facilities on their site. No luck. Going to their PUD Office Locations link only told me about their offices, not waste facilities and a search [waste facility, facilities, etc.] yielded no results. Ok, looks like I'm going to have to pick up the phone.
Oh great, an automated message. Luckily, the first option is to "press 0 to speak to a staff member during business hours." The lady was very polite and helpful, knew exactly what I was asking for and gave me the location, directions and hours of operation without hesitation. A good customer service experience in that regard.
Site Usability?
But, why isn't that information readily available on the site? I asked her and she said it's there, but I was probably just in the wrong spot and she couldn't tell me where to find it online. Ok, fair enough...most office staffers aren't web designers so it's probably not her job. I submitted a suggestion to add the hyperlink via their online contact form. Hopefully they'll update it.
To be honest, I knew all along there is a waste facility within a mile of my house. I've been there several times, but my quest for information turned into a site usability investigation. I wanted to know just how easy my power company is making it for Joe Blow consumers out there to recycle their CFLs. My rating, 7 out of 10. They get a few points knocked off because I had to pick up the phone and talk to someone when they could/should have the locations hyperlinked off the CFL FAQ. What if it was Saturday, I didn't know how to get to the closest recycling facility and I was getting ready to hop in my car, but the offices are closed? SOL. Otherwise, they're doing pretty well. 
Moral of the story? First of all, use CFLs. Secondly, recycle your CFLs! Lastly, for you power companies...make the recycling information easy to find (online, in-person, wherever)! 
~tod
tags: cfl