How To Throw Out Cfl Light Bulbs

Cfl bulbs require 75.

How to throw out cfl light bulbs. Swapping out incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescents benefits the environment and your finances by reducing energy consumption. Lesser used lights for the lights that we use occasionally where we ll leave a cfl bulb i ll just replace it with another as the existing bulbs burn out. How to dispose of cfl and fluorescent light bulbs unlike incandescent bulbs cfl compact fluorescent light bulbs contain a small amount of mercury about 4 milligrams of the toxic metal. So it s a good idea to contact your recycling company to.

Compact fluorescent light cfl bulbs are those funny shaped ones with the swirls or loops. However they do contain mercury which means you should not put them in with your regular trash. Garage door opener the vibration of the garage door opener burns out the lights inside pretty quickly. When an incandescent or compact fluorescent light bulb burns out the simple thing to do is throw it into the trash without a second thought.

Before you throw any into the trash you should know that some popular light bulbs contain toxic components that are hazardous to human health and can negatively impact the environment. When an incandescent light bulb burns out the proper disposal procedure is to throw it away for standard household trash collection. Unlike cfls though they don t contain mercury so they can be disposed of directly in the trash. If you have the option to recycle led bulbs though that is often preferable since they contain many recyclable materials.

Recycling cfls and other fluorescent bulbs allows reuse of the glass metals and other materials that make up fluorescent lights. Your area may prohibit disposal and or require recycling. Other materials in the bulbs get reused. Like cfls led bulbs are low heat and energy efficient.

And incorrect disposal is more serious than you think. Leds do not contain hazardous chemicals so it is safe to throw them away in the trash can however some of the components in led bulbs may be recyclable. Light emitting diode or led light bulbs are about 90 percent more efficient than incandescent bulbs the electrical current passes through a microchip which lights up tiny leds. But this is exactly the wrong way to handle a compact fluorescent lamp cfl when it burns out.

These bulbs use much less energy and last longer than traditional incandescent bulbs. Virtually all components of a fluorescent bulb can be recycled. Learn more about cfls and mercury.