# Recycling old aquarium bulbs



## mikaila31 (Feb 24, 2006)

What places accept these? I have half a dozen dead bulbs that I can't seem to properly dispose of. None of the home improvement stores I visited would take them.


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## TAB (Feb 7, 2009)

call up your county waste dispole agency( its in the phone book) they will tell you where you can take them.

Some ewaste events will take them.


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## joeeey (Mar 10, 2009)

Home Depot in my area accepts used bulbs for recycling


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## Crispino Ramos (Mar 21, 2008)

In Phoenix, AZ - there is a quarterly hazardous waste collection schedule. See if you have a similar collection near you.


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## jetajockey (Nov 11, 2010)

landfills will usually take them also, i'd call around and ask.


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## neonmkr (Jan 31, 2011)

Try electrical supply places, some may have a recycling program set up, however there may be a charge. You can also check the information section in your local phone book, some have information on where to dispose of them. More and more landfills are refusing lamps due to pending changes in EPA laws. My local landfill has banned all mercury filled lamps which raises the ugly side of the push for replacing incandescents with CFLs.


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## ObiQuiet (Oct 9, 2009)

joeeey said:


> Home Depot in my area accepts used bulbs for recycling


I tried Lowes, but they take only spiral CFLs. I tried to argue that the tubes were the same, just a different shape, but their policy was clear.

Does anyone know why that might be?

In the end, they offered to toss them in the trash for me, but that's not really the right thing to do...


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## funnytrash (Sep 5, 2010)

arent they just considered incadescant?


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## TAB (Feb 7, 2009)

funnytrash said:


> arent they just considered incadescant?


no they are not.

they are just like any other fluorescent lamp, they contain a small ammount of mercury, as well as a transformer. most also have circuit board in them.( a very, very basic one)


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## killacross (Apr 29, 2010)

you care alot more than me...I would try twice...then just trash 'em

...but in my area...Lowes, HD, Ace Hardware, Walmart and a few others take them


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

ObiQuiet said:


> I tried Lowes, but they take only spiral CFLs. I tried to argue that the tubes were the same, just a different shape, but their policy was clear.
> 
> Does anyone know why that might be?
> 
> In the end, they offered to toss them in the trash for me, but that's not really the right thing to do...


Linear fluorescents contain mercury. The ones with the green end caps have low levels that are below the hazardous waste deminimus amount. Fluorescent tubes are 100% recyclable. The glass, metal, phosphourus and mercury.

Don't toss them in the trash.


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

Places that use a lot of bulbs like that (office buildings for example) often have a contract or the like that outfits them with a dispossal container for dead ones which they collect periodically. I sneak mine into my office container- maybe your place of business has a similar secret feature. ;-)


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

Many towns have Recycling Centers at their refuse disposal facilities.


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