We just returned from a trip to Sweden to see my husband's family. During our 10-day visit, we saw more than just cousins, aunts and uncles, we saw what an environmentally aware country looks like.

The Swedes definitely have us beat in recycling convenience. Recycling bins are conveniently located outside of fast food restaurants - Burger King has a 6-hole collection system for trash, liquids, compost, kid's meal boxes, empty cups and bottles. Multi-bin recycling stations (like the one pictured here) are located at the zoo, around the marketplace, near schools, anywhere shoppers might have a recyclable. (The photo is from www.xonus.com.) Outside the only grocery store in the very small, country town of Rattvik, there were two additional bins for recycling batteries and light bulbs!

Did you know that fluorescent lights are 100% recyclable? (Standard incandescent bulbs are not - one more reason to switch to those energy-saving CFLs. Wikipedia does a great job of comparing bulb types.) Recyclers remove the mercury inside the light, then recycle all of the components - glass, metal and the mercury. Why take the trouble to recycle these bulbs? According to an article in the San Francisco Observer:

When fluorescent lights are put in the trash the glass can break, which releases mercury into the environment. Mercury evaporates easily and travels long distances in the atmosphere, contributing to local, regional and global pollution. Once mercury gets into a body of water, biological processes can transform the mercury into a highly toxic form that builds up in fish and aquatic animals. When people consume fish containing mercury, the mercury concentrates in their bodies. High levels of mercury can lead to neurological damage.

You can find a recycler in your area by going to one of my favorite sites: earth911.org. The closest recycler to me requires the bulbs be wrapped in newspaper or placed in their original containers. Considering that CFLs are guaranteed for 8,000 hours (an entire year if left on 24/7), I'd say you'd have to be a real pack rat to still have the original box!