Lose It: How to Get Rid of Old Light Bulbs
Source: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/853057/list/lose-it-how-to-get-rid-of-old-light-bulbs
For the sake of our health and the health of our planet, it’s a good idea to pause before throwing anything questionable in the trash — or the recycling, for that matter. Light bulbs are one of those items that can be tricky to dispose of. It depends on what kind of light bulb you have. Some can be thrown away, some can be put in the recycling bin, and some need extra special treatment. Read on to figure out what kind of bulbs you have in your house, and what you should do when they’ve burnt out.
Incandescent bulbs: For many years these have been the most common light bulbs for home use. They’re made with a thin metal filament, which is lit by electricity. The bulbs are usually a vacuum or filled with an inert gas. While they’re pretty straightforward, incandescent bulbs are not energy efficient. Almost all the energy put into these bulbs is transferred into heat, rather than light.Unfortunately, most cities today do not accept incandescent light bulbs at their recycling centers. Call your local municipal recycling center to check. But since these bulbs don’t contain any toxic materials, odds are that you may have to simply throw these burnt-out bulbs into the trash. Some people suggest putting the bulbs into their original packaging or a small plastic bag before throwing them away, so the glass won’t shatter and hurt someone.</p>
Of course, you can always try to reuse your light bulbs. If they’re not broken, you can make an ornament or any number of DIY crafts with a light bulb. Browse online for ideas like thisminiature vase.
Halogen bulbs: These lights are a variation of incandescent bulbs. Like incandescent bulbs, these bulbs are lit by a filament, which is in a tube with halogen gas. Halogen lights are slightly more efficient than standard incandescent bulbs, but not by much. These bulbs can also get very hot — hot enough to burn someone — and are weakened substantially from natural oils (such as those on your hands).And like incandescent bulbs, there aren’t manyrecycling opportunities for halogen bulbs. Luckily, neither contains toxic materials, in case you have to put them in the trash.</p>
Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs): These spiral light bulbs have become more popular over the past several years, mainly because of their relatively affordable price and the huge amount of energy that they save. They produce very little heat — so almost all of the energy is put right into the light output. These bulbs are usually used in place of incandescents, and contain a small amount of mercury. Since mercury is a toxin, it means that particular care needs to be taken when recycling these.</p>
- In some states, like California, it’s illegal to throw CFLs into the trash or the recycling bin. Try checking with your local garbage and recycling center to see if they have a CFL disposal service. If they don’t, suggest that they get one!
- Your city or town may have a drop off location for CFLs, so give your town or city hall a call, too.
- Some large retailers — like Home Depot and IKEA — offer CFL recycling services for bulbs purchased through them.
- If none of these options are available to you, visit Earth911.com or RecycleABulb.com to find other ways to safely dispose of a CFL bulb.
Fluorescent: The tubular fluorescent lights are most often used in overhead lighting in offices. CFLs are essentially compact versions of these lights, so tubular fluorescent bulbs also contain mercury, and need to be disposed of in the same manner as a CFL bulb.
LED: These more modern light bulbs are made without a filament. They consume very little power and have a much longer life span than incandescent lights or CFL lights. They don’t produce as much heat as an incandescent bulb, and unlike CFLs, they don’t use any dangerous chemicals. To top it off, LED lights are incredibly energy efficient — 95% of the energy they use is translated into light.Similar to incandescent lights, LED lights don’t contain any dangerous chemicals, so they can be disposed of in the same way as incandescent or halogen bulbs. However, most LED lights today are made with materials that are all recyclable. Check the package that your bulb came in to confirm, but odds are you can just toss your LED bulb in the recycling once it’s used up.
Light bulb tips:</p>
Light bulb tips:</p>
- Make sure the bulbs in your house will last as long as possible — turn off lights in any room that’s not being used. It sounds simple, but the amount of energy (and money) it will save is pretty remarkable.
- Reduce the use of wasteful incandescent bulbs in your household. Wait until they’re burnt out, and replace them with CFL or LED bulbs.
- If you’re taking CFL bulbs to a recycling center, shipping them to a recycling facility, or leaving them for a service to recycle, make sure that you wrap each bulb up carefully in bubble wrap or newspaper. You don’t want the bulbs to break midway through the trip and leak mercury.