In an earlier post, I was reflecting on my experience with handling CFLs and promoting their use here on the Clark campus. It seems that my thoughts on how to deal with the disposal of these mercury containing bulbs are echoed in this NPR piece, referred to me by members of the Massachusetts Recycling Coalition listserv. The article raises some good points about having the processes in place for CFL consumers to be able to easily and safely dispose of their bulbs (when that time comes nearly a decade after purchase in some instances).
On another vein of product disposal, I have been holding on to my old cellular phones with the faint hope that Verizon will start accepting them back for recycling purposes. After losing my phone the other night in my travels around Boston, I visited a Shrewsbury Verizon outlet in order to activate one of my spares. I brought the others along in case I would be able to leave them to be recycled by the company. Well, this is not quite a reality yet. However, you are of course able to donate your phone to be reused by local charities. Fellow Sietchers, is anyone aware of recycling possibilities for cell phones? There is of course some hope as pointed out by the Naib.
I too would love to find a place that accepts old bulbs. As for cell phones, the solutions is as close as your neighborhood staples:
http://www.collectivegood.com/donate_phone_Staples.asp