While most people trash broken light bulbs in routine garbage, a recent study by an environmental research organisation, Toxic Links, has revealed that a large amount of mercury from the bulbs is polluting the atmosphere. The study explains that compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) have been widely accepted as an energy alternative to provide more energy per unit, but these bulbs have some amount of mercury in them. However, there is no management in place to treat or to recycle these bulbs in the city. The research shows that Delhi alone could account for 14.93 million pieces of CFLs in a single year, which would release 74.65 kg of mercury into ambient air and groundwater. The research also explains that consumers are unaware of the amount of toxic products in these bulbs. “There are no proper CFL recycling units available as prescribed in the guidelines. Generally, recycling takes place in informal units and, even if they are big units, they are not professionally set up or managed. There are certain values involved in each component of the CFLs. The CFLs that are handled by the plastic recycling units just focus on the plastic and discard the glass. The glass recycling units clean the glass of its white coating, containing mercury, in boiling water and throw away the wastewater. There are certain informal recyclers who collect electronic ballast and send the working ballast to informal manufacturing units,” explains the report. Like most e-waste management units, the work of segregation of these bulbs is also done by children in two-room set-ups in remote areas of the capital. The first and the foremost risk they face is of cuts and bruises from the glass element. The study also included three government institutions the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi and two others in Bhopal.