Every year, 600 million Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs are improperly disposed into landfills, silently releasing tons of mercury, one of the most toxic substances on Earth, into the environment. Just one bulb contains enough mercury to contaminate 6,000 gallons of water. Yet every day, families unknowingly expose themselves and their children to this neurotoxin by keeping or improperly disposing these bulbs.

SafelyCFL is a youth-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Edison, NJ. Our goal is to educate every family and raise awareness about the dangers of improperly disposing mercury-filled bulbs, especially CFLs & Linear Fluorescents.

In homes with children, elderly individuals, or pets, even a single breakage can lead to irreversible developmental damage to the brain, kidneys, and nervous system. And often times, this mercury can be inhaled, allowing direct access to the brain where its half-life is 20+ years!

This is not a minor issue. It’s a public health risk still hiding in plain sight across millions of homes, poisoning our soil and water supply, and putting sanitation workers, recycling staff, and entire communities at risk.

This is why our nonprofit, SafelyCFL, has launched a statewide campaign with the support of educators, local leaders, and legislators.

In order to prevent the re-entry of these bulbs into our system and ensure their proper disposal, we have co-authored a bill with Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak which seeks to prohibit the sale and distribution of Compact Fluorescent Bulbs across the state of New Jersey. Your signing of this petition will be instrumental in showcasing widespread community support for SafelyCFL's mission during our testimonial in the NJ Statehouse.

I hope you can take only a few seconds of your time to sign this petition and show your support for a bill that will protect New Jersey families from toxic CFL bulbs and mark a shift towards safe disposal practices.