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You’re already a pro at regular household recycling . . . you’ve got your snazzy green bin nestled up against your regular refuse can in your garage and you regularly toss in your plastic and glass bottles, break down and fold up your cardboard boxes, and gather up your aluminum cans. Feels great, right? Doing your part for the environment. But what happens when you replace an old incandescent bulb that just burned out? What about that fluorescent tube that’s flickering and seems to be on its last leg in your garage? If you’re thinking about pitching those right into that green bin, please STOP! There are different ways to properly dispose of or recycle certain bulbs—get ready to step up your environmental knowledge swagger!
Let’s start with bulbs that you can safely throw in your regular trash. Unfortunately, though they were the dawn of manufactured light, incandescent bulbs are not only inefficient and fragile, but they are also not easily recycled. While they don’t have harsh chemicals in them, the small amounts of glass and metal used to make incandescent bulbs are difficult to separate, so it is recommended they are discarded in your regular trash. Most recycling facilities don’t even accept them. Take care in wrapping broken glass when disposing so as not to put your garbage collectors at risk for injury.
Many outdoor and some indoor fixtures may use halogen bulbs. Like incandescent bulbs, they are difficult to recycle and cannot be combined with your regular household bottles. The glass used in their manufacture is quartz and melts at a higher temperature than regular glass. In fact, if a halogen bulb is accidentally included in a regular glass recycling process, it can ruin the entire batch. Refrain from putting these in your green bin and throw away with regular trash, again keeping in mind safety for your refuse workers.
Moving on now to lamps that you can (and should!) take care to properly recycle. Fluorescent lamps, both CFL and tubular, hold small amounts of mercury and argon, and if they make their way to a landfill, they can contaminate ground water supplies. Mercury can also be harmful to people and pets. However, most municipalities don’t accept fluorescent tubes or CFLs in household recycling. Contact your local environmental service center for guidance or consider opting for a proper disposal kit with prepaid shipping. They are available for tubes, CFLs, mixed lamps, and even lamp ballasts. (At 1000Bulbs.com, we also have safe recycle kits for batteries, but I digress.) If those recycling efforts fail, check with your neighbors for nearby special hazardous waste collection events.
LED light bulbs don’t have hazardous chemicals, are made of less fragile materials, and can be safely tossed with your regular household garbage, but the materials they are made of are more easily recycled. Please check with your local waste management provider to see if they accept them. If they don’t, they are still a useful resource for information on other nearby recycling opportunities.
Congratulations on leveling up your recycling game! You’re doing even more to reduce harmful waste on our planet. If you’re having trouble identifying either your lightbulbs or the best way to discard or recycle them, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. The dedicated and friendly staff of lighting experts at 1000Bulbs.com is here to help! Just call 1-800-624-4488 or message us on our convenient pop-up chat at the bottom right corner of our web pages.
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