I was pretty shocked to discover (thanks to BBC news) that energy saving light-bulbs contain mercury and are classified as hazardous waste. There are two effects of this; firstly, when they die you cannot just throw them away with domestic rubbish, they must be specially disposed of as hazardous waste; Secondly, and more worryingly, if you broke a light in your house/office, the official cleanup procedure issued by the DoE is to call in the local council hazardous waste team! and if not, you should open all the windows, wear a mask and rubbers gloves and thoroughly clean the area to remove toxic hazards. But from my schoolboy chemistry, I seem to remember that mercury must be caught and cannot be washed or scrubbed away.
This is pretty scary, especially for kids or people unaware of the dangers of mercury poisoning. Be warned!
