How to Dispose Of LEDs and Other Lights

By now, you are likely aware of the many benefits LEDs offer, including their high energy efficiency and long-lasting lifetime. Although LEDs don’t burn out like incandescent or HID bulbs do, they will gradually dim over time. When it’s time to dispose of your LED bulbs, you have two options: recycling or throwing them away.

You can recycle almost any type of LED light, including LED light bulbs, tubes, strip lights, Christmas lights, vehicle bulbs, panels, and integrated fixtures. Recycling is the best option for disposing of your lights as it is better for the environment and waste elimination. LEDs are made of various components that can be recycled. All LED lights feature some sort of circuit board. The metals in this circuitry, while not toxic, may be considered “universal waste” and required to be disposed of properly through recycling. Additionally, the glass, plastic, and metals that make up the rest of the light can also be repurposed and recycled. 

The first step in recycling your LED bulbs is to search for nearby facilities that can take LEDs. Certain retail stores, such as Lowes, Home Depot, Batteries Plus, Ikea, and Goodwill, frequently have collections or services where you can dispose of LED bulbs and lights. If your area has E-Waste facilities, you might also be able to recycle your LEDs there. If there are no places near you where you can drop off LEDs, there are mail-in services that you can send your lights to. However, be aware that there may be shipping fees involved.

LEDs are nontoxic, meaning they do not contain harmful substances like fluorescent and HID bulbs that contain mercury. For this reason, it is generally safe to throw away LED bulbs and tubes along with your general waste. However, due to wording in 40 CFR Part 273 of the Environmental Protection Agency Standards for Universal Waste Management, some jurisdictions may regulate the disposal of LED lamps. This occurs if they determine LEDs as fitting the description of universal waste since they contain certain metals such as lead, nickel, arsenic, and copper. Therefore, check with your local waste collection facilities or with local regulations to make sure there are no specific laws regarding throwing away LEDs.

If you have a broken LED or have an LED light with sharp edges, you can wrap material around the bulb or tube to prevent it from tearing a hole in your trash bags. Most LED light bulbs are shatterproof, so you should not have to worry about them breaking while in your trash.

Yes, you can recycle LED drivers and power supplies by taking them to E-Waste facilities or recycling drives. Similar to LED bulbs, you may also be able to recycle drivers and power supplies at nearby hardware retail stores, like Lowes and Home Depot. Electronics retailers such as Best Buy may also participate in power supply recycling. Be sure to call ahead or research if stores near you are accepting these drop-offs.

Disposing of fluorescent, incandescent, high-intensity discharge (HID), halogen, and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) varies slightly due to their construction.

Fluorescent, CFL, and HID lamps contain a small amount of mercury, making them hazardous. Therefore, do not throw them in the trash. The EPA requires that you dispose of these lights at recycling centers, hazardous waste collection agencies, or retailers with a recycling program. This ensures that mercury and other harmful materials are safely managed.

While halogen and incandescent light bulbs don't contain hazardous materials, they are not commonly recycled due to the low recovery value of their materials. Check if your local waste management offers specific disposal or recycling options. Otherwise, they should be wrapped and disposed of with regular trash, following any local guidelines.

If you have a fluorescent tube light fixture that you want to get rid of after upgrading to LED troffers or panels, you can recycle certain parts of the existing housing. A fluorescent tube light fixture will likely contain a metal housing and a ballast. The metal housing can be recycled where other metals are processed and recycled. PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) containing ballasts, however, must be discarded at a hazardous waste collection facility, as required by the EPA. Ballasts without PCB may still contain hazardous metals, so you should recycle these at hazardous waste collection facilities as well.