So you want to do your bit for the environment, reduce your carbon footprint by reducing the amount of power used to light your home?

Good for you!

After all, lighting accounts for close to 20 percent of the average home's electric bill.

And certain types of bulbs now available on the market, compact fluorescent light bulb -- or CFL as those of us who live in the Enviro-Geek Kingdom often call them -- use up to 75 percent less energy than regular incandescent bulbs, the design of which has not changed much since Mr. Edison first said voila!

And yes, they cost more money, but they also last up to 10 times longer than incandescents so the money evens out generally.

But the benefits are pretty significant during this here undeclared energy crisis of ours.

"If every home in America replaced just one incandescent bulb with a CFL, in one year it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 800,000 cars," according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Just one problem. This same environmental boon can also be an environmental bane because they contain a toxic chemical.

Now understand, as a Mercury reporter for more than 10 years, I don't always believe The Mercury can be hazardous to your health.

However, when you're talking about the element, that's a different story.

Mercury can cause brain damage and developmental problems in fetuses and young children, according to The Environmental Report.

The amount of mercury in these bulbs is small, about 5 milligrams -- about 100 times less mercury than is in your average household thermometer -- and getting smaller all the time. But it's nothing to ignore.

So, two things: 1) what do you do if you break one? 2)How do you get rid of them when they burn out?

First, if you break one, know that mercury can linger in your house if you don't clean it up right away.

Here's how -- get pets, kids and people who aren't cleaning it up out of the room, open a window and leave the room yourself for about 15 minutes.

When you come back, use stiff paper, like index cards or playing cards, to pick up the larger pieces of glass. Use duct tape's sticky side (it really does fix everything!) to get the smaller pieces, then put it all in a glass jar with a lid and take it out of the house.

DO NOT use a vacuum, as this can spread mercury vapors throughout your house.

If a bulb breaks on clothing or bed clothes, discard them. Don't wash it as it can contaminate your washing machine or put mercury into the sewage line.

Now, presuming you've managed to light your home with one of these babies until it burns out, you face the dilemma of what do do with it. After all, sending mercury to your local landfill is generally considered an environmental no-no for true believers.

Some states prohibit putting these bulbs in the trash, but Pennsylvania is not one of them. Further, the newer bulbs have a low-enough amount of mercury in them that the state does not consider them hazardous waste.

There is a list of fluorescent lamp recyclers on the DEP Web site, but they are not the kind of place Joe Homeowner can drop off a bulb or two for a clean conscience.

Steve Ickeler, vice president of Corporate Lamp Recycling in Kennett Square, said companies in his line of work generally contract with big office buildings.

He said there have been one or two inquiries from Montgomery County municipalities about doing a collection drop off, but nothing has been put in place yet.

I can tell you that the bulbs we were given at the Pottstown Historic Home Show last month can be recycled by returning them to the Montgomery County Community College West Campus in Pottstown, which gave them out.

Other than that, stay tuned.