top of page
Light Bulbs and Light Tubes

FIRST, IDENTIFY YOUR LIGHT BUULB

​

If you are not sure the types of bulbs you have, you need to identify the type first. 

Here is a comprehensible guide to identify types of lamps  by Lamp Plus. Click HERE for the link.  

If you prefer a video by Illustra Lighting explaining how to identify.  Click HERE. 

​

Now you know the type of a bulb you are recycling or disposing, check out the following for the proper methods. 

Compact Fluorescent Lights

CFLs are popular for their efficiencies. 

  • CFLs use up to 75% less electricity

  • CFLs last up to 10 times longer

  • Life expectancy approx. 10 years

  • CFLs produce 75% less heat, reducing home cooling demands, resulting in higher energy savings. 

  • There are 7 states which ban the disposal of CFLs in landfills. 

  • Mercury is a precious metal in a limited supply and a necessary component, in CFLs and other electronic products. However, mercury is not harmful when it is intact in CFL but is toxic when it spilled or vaporized. Therefore, CFLs cannot be put into a regular trash bin because it can contaminate landfills and potentially migrate out of landfills to rivers, oceans, and lands. For those reasons, CFLs should be handled responsively and recycled.  However, CFLs has been gradually disappearing from stores and been replaced by LED bulbs. 

​

The recycling locations of Household Hazardous collection sites could be found with the link HERE.  Homedepot,  Lowe's,  and  IKEA also offer. recycling to their customers. 

 

Another recycling option would be mail back programs. The following companies offer the services with a charge. 

Fluorescent Light Tubes

Fluorescent tubes are popular in commercial and industrial settings. As of June 2022, Illinois.gov websites says "mercury-containing lamps discarded by households are not subject to hazardous waste rules and can be accepted by municipal-waste landfills; however, the Illinois EPA recommends you take these lamps to household-hazardous-waste collection centers."

​

The recycling locations of Household Hazardous collection sites could be found with the link HERE.

​

Another recycling option would be mail back programs. The following companies offer the services with a charge. 

Other local locations in Illinois, click here in the site of EPA. 

_edited.jpg
_edited.jpg

LED and HID (High Intensity Discharge) lamps

 

Like other mercury and heavy metal contained bulbs, improper disposable or handling of LED, HID ( High Intensity Discharge)  and UV lamps can be harmful to humans and environment. Many households throw away these bulbs, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency strongly recommends to recycle or dispose properly. 

​

The recycling locations of Household Hazardous collection sites could be found with the link HERE.

​

Another recycling option would be mail back programs. The following companies offer the services. 

​

More information on the clean up guidance: http://www.epa.gov/cflcleanup

​

​

Christmas string lights
​

Nowday, the majority of the Christmas string lights are LEDs. If you would like to recycle the old ones, you can simply donate at HomeDepot,

​

The following two companies are specializing in Christmas string lights recycling. If they send in string lights for recycling, you would get coupon codes toward the purchase of the new lights.  

​

The following companies offer recycling of household materials in general which would recycle light bulbs. 

​

​

_edited.jpg
Warning: cleaning of broken CFLs, LEDs, HIDs and spilled mercury

Clean up prep: 

  • Have people and pets leave the area/ room.

  • Do not vacuum. 

  • Wear a mask and gloves.  Never touch Mercury with bare hands. 

  • Air out the room for 5-10 minutes

  • Shut off central air or fan.  

  • Have the cleaning kit ready. (stiff paper or, cardboard, sticky tape, damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes (for hard surfaces); and a glass jar with a metal lid or a sealable plastic bag)

During cleanup

  • Be thorough in collecting broken glass and visible powder.

  • All the cleanup materials must be placed in a sealed container.

  • Collect materials needed to clean up broken bulb

After cleanup

  • The container with all bulb debris and materials in a jar or plastic bag need to be temporarily placed in a safe and protected spot outside the home until it will be disposed properly. (a plastic bag will not prevent the mercury vapor from escaping)   If there is a choice, avoid leaving any bulb fragments or cleanup materials indoors.

  • For several hours, continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the H&AC system shut off.

More information on the clean up guidance: http://www.epa.gov/cflcleanup

​

Halogen light bulbs

Halogen bulbs contain halogen gas and that make them hard to recycle. On September 1st, 2018, the use of halogen light bulbs was banned by the European Union. But that is not the case in  While they are still contaminants to environments (relatively less than the others), they are accepted to be disposed in regular trash. Halogen bulbs are made with thicker glass than those of incandescent bulbs. However for the safety of garbage collectors, it is still recommended to wrap it in a paper or place it in a box at disposal.

Incandescent light bulbs

Incandescent light bulbs are supposed to go into the household trash since the parts are too small and complicated for recycling. 

If the bulb is broken, wrap the pieces securely in heavy sheet of paper for safety. 

​

Article source: Homedepot.com, epa.gov, earth911.com, querysprout.com, christmaslightsource.com, terracycle.com, ecolights.com, lampcycling.com, lampplus.com
Video: copyright owned by Illustra Lighting

bottom of page