City council members Bruce Harrell and Nick Licata are looking to place environmentally safe drop boxes at all 27 Seattle Public Libraries to reduce the amount of uncontained Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs in landfills.

The boxes would have a special liner that would prevent mercury leakage.

Currently CFL's can be disposed at certain retailers, City Light service locations and city or county transfer stations that accept hazardous waste.

“My goal is to take advantage of the fact that most citizens know the location of their neighborhood public library, which would not only make the disposal of CFL's easier for our citizens but also help the city forego the expense of purchasing new disposal sites,” council member Harrell said.

Since 2006, more than 300 million CFL's have been purchased in the country.

In Seattle, City Light recently announced that its “Twist and Save” program has produced sales of more than one million locally.

CFL bulbs contain a small amount of mercury that prohibits throwing them into the trash. Throwing them away in an uncontained manner creates a situation where the mercury seeps into the soil and eventually in the groundwater.

"I have heard from many citizens who simply do not know where to dispose of CFL's properly," said council member Licata. "This will provide convenient locations for them to do just that."