Can I recycle ... light bulbs?
In Los Angeles, light bulbs cannot be placed in the recycling bin. Incandescent bulbs can be thrown in the black trash bin, but fluorescent, compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) and light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs are considered household hazardous waste and must be taken to a Solvents, Automotive, Flammables and Electronics, or SAFE, center for disposal because they may contain mercury or other hazardous materials. Home Depot also has a take-back program for used CFLs.
Because policies and recommendations vary from city to city, each week we ask a sampling of officials from various municipalities to weigh in. Can I recycle light bulbs in ...
Arcadia: No. All bulbs must be treated as hazardous waste.
Culver City: No. All bulbs must be treated as hazardous waste.
Glendale: No. All bulbs must be treated as hazardous waste.
Long Beach: No. Incandescents can go in trash; all other bulbs must be treated as hazardous waste.
Los Angeles: No. Incandescents can go in trash; all other bulbs must be treated as hazardous waste.
Riverside: No. Incandescents can go in trash; all other bulbs must be treated as hazardous waste.
Santa Monica: No. All bulbs must be treated as hazardous waste.
Torrance: No. Incandescents can go in trash; all other bulbs must be treated as hazardous waste.
-- Susan Carpenter
Photo credit: Kristopher Skinner / MCT
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If you want your home to look like a northern European triage center, CFL's are definitely the way to go. I also like the fact that, when they break or burn out, you have the fun experience of running in total panic to the opposite end of the room while dialing 911 to get the HAZMAT team over to dispose of the debris. And once they're in the landfill, doing whatever it is that mercury does over the years, well... you can smile that self-satisfied smile of a West Los Angeles Prius driver, knowing that you've SAVED THE PLANET !
Posted by: Donald Bryan | 05/05/2011 at 11:33 PM