Disposal of T5 Bulbs

[Darth_Tater]

Hi all,

Just curious, what does everyone do with their old T5 bulbs? Mine are just collecting in a corner of the fish closet and I'd like to get rid of them.

 

[Baccara]

I toss them in the garbage.

 

[joshbrookkate]

Where I live, we are not permitted to put used bulbs in trash. We drop them off at the recycling depot.
Michelle

 

[fishome25]

Tossing them in the garbage should not be a response in this forum. I'm sure that is not permitted in most towns by now, due to the dangerous mercury the bulbs contain. Not only will it leach into the environment at the landfill, but it is not good for garbage collectors to constantly be exposed to broken fluorescent bulbs.

 

[Darth_Tater]

Apparently Batteries+ will recycle bulbs as well as batteries. I'll try there and hope it's free.

 

[SplinterCell]

IKEA takes all bulbs and batteries.

 

[Monte26]

Home Depot recycles bulbs for free

 

[Darth_Tater]

I didn't know IKEA and HD recycle. Good to know, thanks!

 

[DiscusHeckel]

I take my old bulbs to a recycling centre.

 

[Reef Frog]

My local HD only takes only CFL. Not tubes. My local waste authority schedules 2 days per year where they'll take "dangerous materials" and promise to dispose of properly.

I talked to the director about this and pointed out the obvious - that 90% of the great unwashed masses aren't going to wait around for the special pick up day; they'll just toss them in the waste stream, endangering the environment and his landfill workers. Man, it was like explaining the dangers of quantitative easing to chimpanzees. His facial expression did change when I mentioned cancer, respiratory disease and future class action lawsuits.

 

[DiscusHeckel]

My local HD only takes only CFL. Not tubes. My local waste authority schedules 2 days per year where they'll take "dangerous materials" and promise to dispose of properly.

I talked to the director about this and pointed out the obvious - that 90% of the great unwashed masses aren't going to wait around for the special pick up day; they'll just toss them in the waste stream, endangering the environment and his landfill workers. Man, it was like explaining the dangers of quantitative easing to chimpanzees. His facial expression did change when I mentioned cancer, respiratory disease and future class action lawsuits.

My local waste authority is open 4 days a week. They even collect asbestos. If I am desperate to remove stuff, such as garden waste, I drive to another waste site, which is open 7 days a week.