In response to the California Lighting Efficiency and Toxic Reduction Act of 2007 (Assembly Bill 1109), the California Department of Toxic Substances Control has released its Lighting Task Force Report to the Legislature, recommending a framework for safer, convenient and cost-effective ways to recycle fluorescent lamps.

"Millions of fluorescent bulbs are sold each year in California, the majority of which end up, along with the mercury they contain, buried in a landfill," said Leonard Robins, the agency's federal liaison and lead of the task force. "To properly manage and recycle fluorescent lamps, consumers need to have convenient and costeffective opportunities available."

AB 1109, viewed as a national model, sets new energy efficiency standards for general purpose lighting, prohibits the manufacture and sale of lighting products containing mercury and prohibits the sale of light bulbs in California after Jan. 1, 2010, that contain hazardous substances above levels prohibited by European Union Limits.

Funding for the program would be a shared responsibility by the electric utilities and lamp manufacturers and would create a system that promotes both energy efficiency and environmental stewardships.