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Are Light Bulbs Recyclable?

a hand holding a large reflective light bulb

Are Light Bulbs Recyclable?

It depends which definition of recycling you are using. On one hand, there is the direct reuse of a product. Which is to continue using a product in the same manner or for similar purposes (i.e. donating used clothing or shoes or repurposing an old bath towel as a rag and so on). Spent light sources cannot be reused.

On the other hand is the most common understanding of recycling.  Which is the de-manufacturing of a product into its individual component parts and then redistributing those components back to industry.  In this case it is safe to say that some of the components of a light bulb can be recycled. Most of the metal parts of a lamp can be reclaimed and sometimes the phosphor powders can be sifted and cleansed with the rare earth elements extracted for reuse.  However, this is not common due to the high cost of processing and the lower cost of virgin materials.

The Most Important Benefit of Lamp Recycling

Light bulb recycling is really about recovering mercury.  When spent lamps are recycled the mercury inside is captured and stored.  This prevents environmental contamination. If mercury vapour is released from a spent lamp or tube it will enter the environment and it will be impossible to recover.  There are literally billions of mercury containing light bulbs in the world. If we claim to live in an intelligent society it is hypocritical not to manage this waste stream with the utmost of care. Mercury — while useful for a vast array of scientific, medical, and industrial purposes — is a toxin that causes a host of health issues in humans and the environment as a whole. The bottom line is that mercury containing lamps need to arrive at a mercury management facility intact in order for the toxin to be recovered.  So don’t mess around. Everyone of us is a stakeholder. Most local municipalities accept mercury containing lamps from homeowners for free. There are also hundreds of companies that will pick up spent mercury-containing lamps from businesses. So do the right thing and make sure you recycle your waste light bulbs.  If you don’t know whether or not the burnt out light bulb in your hand contains mercury simply assume it does and get to a place where it will be recycled. Forget about the stupid definition of recycling. Light bulb recycling and lamp recycling is about ensuring that hazardous waste stays out of the environment. If don’t know, now ya know….


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3800 Victoria Park Ave, Toronto, ON M2H 3H7
(416)495-9914