Spent CFLs may be polluting the environment silently and causing a toxic hazard for kabadiwalas who handle such discarded bulbs.
Despite a huge spike in the demand (about 30% in the last five years) for these energy-saving lamps, a recent survey by NGO Toxics Link has found a number of ecological concerns with the management of these lamps. One of them is that they are not recycled safely; the mercury-laden glass invariably ends up in the municipal solid waste. Also, there is no set standard in India on the amount of mercury that should be used in a bulb.
Links:
[1] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/news/spent-cfls-eco-hazard
[2] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/newspaper/times-india-new-delhi
[3] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/cfl
[4] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/toxic-wastes
[5] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/mercury
[6] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/lead
[7] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/central-pollution-control-board-cpcb
[8] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/ministry-environment-and-forests-moef
[9] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/thesaurus/bureau-energy-efficiency-bee
[10] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/waste-disposal
[11] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/waste-recycling
[12] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/environmental-health
[13] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/health-effects
[14] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/environment