How to Recycle Light Bulbs: Incandescent, Fluorescent, & CFL | Direct Energy Blog

If y'all're in the habit of tossing your burned out light bulbs in the trash, you might be making a error. There may be a recycling drib-off indicate right in your neighborhood, but more importantly, some light bulbs must be recycled for the good of the environs.

  • Some lite bulbs incorporate chancy materials that can contaminate water and soil if left in a landfill
  • Your curbside recycling service might take light bulbs, but practice your research to find the right place to recycle them
  • Some states and local jurisdictions have laws that dictate light bulb disposal

How to Recycle Light Bulbs: Incandescent, Fluorescent, & CFL | Direct Energy Blog

Types of Light Bulbs to Recycle

For the purposes of recycling, most calorie-free bulbs fit into one of three categories:

  1. Incandescent low-cal bulbs and halogen lite bulbs do not contain any chancy materials, then it'south acceptable to throw these direct into the trash. They are recyclable, but considering of the specialized processes necessary to carve up the materials, they're not accustomed at all recycling centers.
  2. CFL bulbs and other fluorescent bulbs contain trace amounts of mercury, a hazardous material. They're safe to use in your domicile, just when they end up in a landfill, they can contaminate soil and water. In that location are many places to recycle these bulbs, simply you lot should always verify that CFLs are accepted before taking them to any recycling center.
  3. LED bulbs are non-toxic and built to last for years, but they can all the same be rendered useless due to damage, defect or sometime age. LEDs are accepted past some recycling centers, including some that specialize in recycling consumer electronics, only the average recycling center isn't equipped to process them.

Where to Recycle Low-cal Bulbs

1. Curbside recycling

If you have curbside recycling service through your municipality or a individual visitor, you should brainstorm your search on the service'southward website. There should exist a comprehensive list of what materials are accepted, and many services volition listing items that are specifically not accepted.

You should non expect your curbside recycler to take CFLs, as curbside recycling is a rough-and-tumble business and fluorescent bulbs release their mercury equally soon as they break. Information technology's possible that your recycler will have other types of bulbs, simply don't assume that they volition.

How to Recycle Light Bulbs: Incandescent, Fluorescent, & CFL | Direct Energy Blog

2. Retailers and Recycling Centers

If you can't recycle them curbside, the side by side step is to search for a recycling centre near y'all with a website like Earth911 or Recycle Nation . You can search based on different types of low-cal bulbs, and you might fifty-fifty detect some nearby processors that have materials you didn't even know y'all could recycle.

Searchable recycling center databases are groovy means to find concatenation retailers that provide light bulb recycling bins, especially for CFLs. Many Home Depot, Lowe's and IKEA stores accept old bulbs, for case.

3. Mail-In Recycling

If you withal don't have a user-friendly fashion to recycle light bulbs where you live, at that place's withal another way, but it could cost you. Companies like Lampmaster Recycling and EZ on the Earth offer calorie-free bulb recycling by mail. You can gild a prepaid, durable container online, then just fill it with lite bulbs and send it dorsum. This tin can be expensive, only if you live in a remote location, it may exist the best option for keeping your old light bulbs out of the landfill.

Know Your Local Recycling Laws

In some states and local jurisdictions, information technology'south against the law to throw a CFL bulb into the regular trash. Fortunately, jurisdictions with these requirements also tend to take a range of user-friendly recycling services.

The Environmental Protection Agency maintains a listing of land laws applicable to low-cal bulb recycling, but information technology does not track local laws. Call your local city hall, waste matter collection agency or recycling center to inquire about whether at that place are any light bulb recycling laws in your expanse.