Islanders using environmentally-sound light bulbs can rest assured that they can now be disposed of safely.

Works and Engineering Minister Derrick Burgess told a press conference yesterday that a "compact fluorescent light bulb eater" had been bought to ensure light bulbs containing mercury, known as CFLs, could be got rid of in a green way.

He said the gadget was thought to be one of only five such units in use in the world, with the other four in the US.

The Minister explained that while only minimum amounts of mercury are contained in CFLs — about enough to cover the tip of a very fine ball point pen — mercury is known to biomagnify in the marine food chain, leading to concentrated amounts of mercury in some larger fish species such as yellow fin tuna.

"Prolonged exposure to mercury through consumption of contaminated foods can lead to central nervous system damage," said Mr. Burgess. "By reducing mercury from Bermuda's waste stream, the chance of human health risk is greatly reduced."

Members of the public can drop their CFLs off in specially marked containers at the Tynes Bay public drop off from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.