More or less in costs

More or less in costs “One costs around RM12 to RM15 but an incandescent light bulb costs only about RM2,” said environmentalist Gurmit Singh.

“Will manufacturers bring down the price of the bulbs, or maintain or hike the price?” he asked. Gurmit said he believed the country also did not have a proper disposal system for fluorescent bulbs.

“Incandescent bulbs do not contain harmful chemicals and when disposed, a person just needs to be careful about the glass, metallic wire and filament of the bulb,” he said yesterday.

“However, compact fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, which is a dangerous chemical. So the Government should ensure there is a system to dispose of the bulbs.”

He was commenting on Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin’s announcement yesterday that the Government would stop the production, import and sale of incandescent light bulbs in 2014.

Traditional bulbs are less efficient and not as environmentally-friendly as , fluorescent tubes and light-emitting diodes.

Water and Energy Consumer Association of Malaysia (WECAM) secretary-general S. Piarapakaran said manufacturers should lower the prices of energy-saving bulbs after traditional bulbs are phased out.

He also said the Government should help lower-income groups by setting up cooperative schemes that allowed them to buy energy-saving bulbs through instalments.

Federation of Malaysia Consumers’ Assoc-iations (Fomca) secretary-general Muhd Sha’ani Abdullah said the Government should make it mandatory for new housing developments to use only .

“Whether or not you can afford it should not be the issue. In the long term, you will save much more than if you use normal bulbs,” he said.