Fluorescent and incandescent are among the types of household light bulbs that are available nowadays. Mercury is the content of both compact and regular fluorescent light bulbs. This mercury content is known as hazardous material and must be thrown away properly and should not be thrown directly into landfills. It is important to do so as to protect the environment. Bulb incineration should be avoided as the hazardous material would release into the atmosphere. Here are the proper ways to throw your unwanted light bulbs.
You will need:
- Non-recyclable boxes.
- Original bulb containers.
Bulbs
Steps:
- First, put the incandescent bulbs into the non-recyclable boxes and containers, or you can use detergent boxes as other alternatives. These packages will help to avoid scattering glass if the bulbs break.
- Then, throw out the contained incandescent bulbs by placing them inside a curbside thrash can.
- Put the regular or compact fluorescent bulbs in their original container. Make a label stating “hazardous waste” on a container that originally was not meant for the regular and the compact fluorescent.
- Place a recycling program for fluorescent light bulbs. You can search in the internet as there are many websites listing recycling programs, according to states. For business owners with large amount of bulbs for disposal, they will need to check with the local and state regulations. For further information, check with the government environmental agencies.
- Finally, send the boxed fluorescent bulbs to the recycling center.
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Additional Reading:
Green Lighting (Tab Green Guru Guides)
Lighting Retrofit and Relighting: A Guide to Energy Efficient Lighting
