How to safely dispose of burned out light bulbs

When a light bulb burns out, you may wonder whether to toss it in the trash or take it to your local recycling center. However, the best action to take depends entirely on the type of light bulb you’re throwing out.

Incandescent bulbs
When a standard light bulb burns out, you can put it in the garbage with the rest of your household waste. The thin glass and metal wires are almost impossible to separate for recycling.

Compact fluorescent lights (CFL)
CFL bulbs contain small amounts of mercury that can damage the environment if the bulb breaks. Many municipalities have drop-off points for hazardous waste items and you should dispose of CFL light bulbs at these locations.

Light-emitting diode (LED) lights
LED lights don’t technically burn out like other bulbs, but they do dim over time. When this happens, you can safely discard them in the trash as they don’t contain mercury like CFL bulbs do. You can also check with your local recycling center to see if they accept this type of bulb.

Regardless of the type of light bulb, take care to wrap it in paper before you throw it away. This way you’ll avoid the possibility of someone getting injured by the broken glass.

Many hardware store chains have recycling boxes for CFL bulbs as well as batteries, left over paint and other things that can’t safely be thrown out. Check your local hardware store to see if they offer this service.