Did you know that in most municipalities across America that you can’t toss used or broken Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs in the trash? Why? The CFLs contain a small amount of Mercury which poses a risk to our health and to our environment. Contact your local municipality to find out how they are handled in your particular area. Below you’ll find some general information on how to handle them and dispose of them.
A lot of communities now have recycling programs for them. There are several home improvement and hardware stores that will take “intact” and “used” Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs back and dispose of them for you. The Home Depot and Ikea are 2 of those retail stores. You need to contact them for additional information and guidelines on how to return them.
Some municipalities allow you to dispose them in the garbage but under certain restrictions and guidelines. For example…in our area we have to double bag them in zipper closure bags to prevent any type of leakage. The bag then gets placed into the garbage can. You can’t toss them into a recycling bin because they pose a danger if they go into an incinderator.
When handling broken CFLs, I wear a pair of gloves to protect my hands from broken glass and from mercury leakage. I then carefully place the bulb and/or pieces into the first zipper closure bag. Zip it shut. Place that bag into a second zipper closure bag and zip it shut. I take a marker and write on the outside of the bag that the pieces are of a Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb and to handle with care. Then I dispose of it.
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This was a very helpful post to read. I can now bring my fluorescent bulbs to Home Depot. Thanks.
This post was super helpful to read. Thank you for sharing this one.