By 2026, nearly all fluorescent bulbs in Maine will be illegal to sell.
The bill to phase out the vast majority of fluorescent bulbs passed the Maine House and Senate and became law on July 5 without the signature of Gov. Janet Mills, according to the Portland Press Herald.
The lightbulbs formerly deemed environmentally friendly took a backseat to LEDs over the years because LEDS are more efficient and don’t contain mercury like fluorescents. The ban could save Mainers $16 million in electric bills, keep 3.9 pounds of Mercury from polluting the environment and save 11,000 tons of carbon emissions by 2030, according to the Portland newspaper.
This process has been in the works since 2009, when Maine was the first state in the country to create a recycling program for the mercury-laden bulbs. However, this new phase-out law mirrors ones already put in place by California and Vermont, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Fluorescent bulbs present a health risk when broken — they release mercury, which is a neurotoxin especially dangerous to pregnant people and infants. When thrown away, the bulbs can release mercury into the environment that can contaminate air and water.
Those spiral fluorescent bulbs, called CFLs, are no longer sold at most stores in Maine. There will be exceptions to this law, including allowances for tanning beds, photocopiers and medical imaging equipment, the Portland Press Herald reported.
There will be no required inspections to make sure these bulbs are no longer sold, but the Maine Department of Environmental Protection can pursue violations.
Mainers who want to dispose of their fluorescents can continue using recycling stations at hardware and lumber stores or recycle them at some landfills.
Jules Walkup is a Report for America corps member. Additional support for this reporting is provided by BDN readers.