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Can We Recycle Light Bulbs? The Explanation and Steps

Hyundai Motorstudio Senayan Park 2022.05.16
Can We Recycle Light Bulbs? The Explanation and Steps
Light bulbs are common household waste in every home. Recycle light bulbs, the easy thing to do. Each type of bulb is recycled differently even though some bulbs are not recycled. There are a lot of people who don't know how to recycle light bulbs or what to do with them.

Therefore, we will dedicate this article to tell you everything you need to know about how to recycle light bulbs and their characteristics.

Recycle used bulbs


As odd as it may seem, as we started with, not all bulbs are recyclable. Halogen lamps and incandescent lamps are not included in WEEE, which is a regulation on the proper environmental management of electrical and electronic equipment.

Therefore, we can recycle fluorescent bulbs, discharge bulbs, and LEDs. We can also recycle lamps. On the other hand, halogen and incandescent bulbs are not recycled. Nonetheless, as you'll see later, they can be used for very interesting projects.

This will depend on the type of bulb we want to dispose of, as managing these CFL (low consumption) bulbs is completely different from managing LED bulbs. You don't need to throw the bulb into the glass case.

Bulb type


There are several types of light bulbs and depending on the type several aspects must be taken into account. Let's see what they are:

  • Filament lamps: Since this type of lighting element, halogen lamps, cannot be recycled, we must dispose of them in a gray or dark green colored container (depending on the population). In these bins, also called scraps, items that do not have their own recycling bins are discarded.
  • Energy efficient or fluorescent lamps: These types of bulbs contain mercury, so they should not be thrown in the trash or recycling container. It is important to take them to a clean place where they will be safely disposed of for recycling later.
  • LED light: This bulb consists of reusable electronic components. To be able to grip it properly, it is necessary to bring it to the appropriate point.

How to recycle creative light bulbs


Creative reuse, more commonly known as upgrading recycling, includes converting discarded or no longer useful products into new products of higher quality or ecological value. It is never recommended to use fluorescent lamps in such projects, as they contain mercury which is highly toxic. In this case, we will present some ideas to provide new uses for old incandescent lamps.

Small vase: By removing the lid and inner wire, we can use the bulb as a vase to place small flowers. We can put a pedestal on it and decorate a table or shelf, or if we add some ropes or cables to hang it, we will have a fantastic vertical garden.

Coat rack: The bulb is empty inside, we just need to put cement on it, install it and wait for it to harden. Now we just need to make a small hole in the wall and place our coat rack. We can also use it to renew handles of all kinds of doors.

Oil lamp: As usual, the first thing to do is remove the filament from the bulb. Next we have to oil or alcohol for a lamp or torch and put the wick.

Christmas Decorations: With some old light bulbs, we can make our own decorations for the Christmas tree. We just need to paint it with the motif we like the most and add a small thread to hang it.

Terrarium: With some gravel and small plants or pieces of moss we can make a terrarium. As with mini vases we can put the base or hang it.

Send in a light bulb: In the same way as a bottle, we can build a ship inside our light bulb.

Where they are recycled according to their type?


A light bulb is an object that uses electricity to face our homes when the sun is out. There are several types of light bulbs that can be classified accurately based on their power consumption, lifespan, or the amount of light they emit. These are the main types of light bulbs that exist:

Incandescent lamps are traditional lamps. In 2012, its manufacture was banned in the EU due to its short life and high energy consumption.

The halogen bulb gave off a very strong light and it lit up instantly. They emit a lot of heat and their service life can be extended.

The Energy-saving lamps have a much longer lifespan than previous lamps and are very efficient


No doubt their led lights are the most sustainable on the market. They contain no tungsten or mercury, have the longest shelf life and consume much less than all the products mentioned above.

You might think that a bulb that can carry glass components will fit into a green case, but this is wrong. In addition to the glass, the bulb has many other components that must be separated before being disposed of. That's why the bulb must be cleaned.

In order to facilitate this task and properly recycle the waste, AMBILAMP (a non-profit organization that aims to develop a system for the collection and treatment of such waste) has also set up another possibility of a bulb waste collection point, where every citizen can pick up and use it.

Generally these points are located in electrical equipment companies or distributors, such as hardware stores, lighting stores or supermarkets, where any citizen can pick up used recycle light bulbs. In particular, this collection point focuses on the collection of fluorescent lamps, energy-saving lamps, discharge lamps, LED lamps, and old lamps.

The process of recycle light bulbs begins with separating the constituent materials. Mercury and phosphorus are separated after the distillation process and then stored safely. Plastics go to plastic recycling plants, glass to cement factories, the glass and ceramics industry, and metals to foundries. Everything will give life to the new object.

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