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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.crimedad.work/post/45354
cross-posted from: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/645809278769635471
These just go out with the other recycling, right?
No. They contain mercury and electronics and are typically not recyclable. They may be recyclable, but probably not curbside, and are considered hazardous waste. See https://www.epa.gov/mercury/recycling-and-disposal-cfls-and-other-bulbs-contain-mercury
Not in my area, I have to take them to Lowes or Home Depot.
I didn't know that Lowe's and Home Depot accept these for disposal. Useful info.
And sometimes they don't. You gotta check ahead, unless you're going there anyway
And Staples takes electronics for recycling
Second this.
CF bulbs have some mercury in them and need to be disposed of properly. DO NOT put these in the trash!
I took mine to the collection box in the customer service / returns area at home despot.
ETA: I think I am now rid of all the compact florescent bulbs in my house. LEDs are now cheap enough that I'll get rid of good CFs for the energy savings.
Only problem I have had with LED lights is they stop working after maybe 6 months whereas the CF bulbs would go for years. I have CF bulbs in fixtures that have been working since before I got my first LED installed. What has your experience been? What brand of bulb are you using? I am willing to pay more for a bulb that will last.
We bit the bullet and bought a bunch of Philips hue bulbs about 4 years ago. None of them have failed out of about 18 of them. The only things that have failed are both of the hue motion sensors we bought to automate lights turning on.
You might have fixtures that overheat the bulbs. LEDs run cool compared to other bulbs but they are very sensitive to heat (that's why the old ones had fins on them). If your fixture is enclosed, LEDs in there will have a much shorter life span.
One common fixture in these parts are those silly domes with the screw in the middle, they regularly killed bulbs at my old place. I even had one come out that had discoloration from the heat.
CFLs and incandescents didn't like those fixtures or heat either, but I don't know as much about how their life span was impacted.
One common fixture in these parts are those silly domes with the screw in the middle,
My wife and I affectionally refer to those as boob lights.
What has your experience been? What brand of bulb are you using?
Happy to answer your questions.
Most of my LEDs were purchased at Costco for dirt cheap prices. Like $1 USD for a 4 pack. They occasionally have special deals where the utility company subsidizes the price so they are ungodly cheap. I've mostly stopped looking for bulbs because I have a houseful now. Costco also reduces your risk with their easy returns.
The brand is Feit electric which seems to be a common bulb brand around here. Nothing special as far as I can tell.
And I cannot recall an LED bulb failing. My CFs were also not generally failing. You might call an electrician to see what they might suggest. I suppose there are power supply situations that are unfriendly to LEDs.
The last LEDs I bought are Feit electric Item 1715918. These are 100 watt replacement LEDs with a switch on them to choose the color (temperature) of light between soft white (2700K), bright white (3000K), cool white (4000K), daylight (5000K) and cool daylight (6500K). Seems like a great idea to let you choose your color. I prefer daylight over the harsher whites.
cobra89 mentions Philips brand and I have heard they sell some of the best bulbs. I don't think I have any but I may eventually get some for specific applications.
Tangential, but here's an interesting video about dim-able LEDs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbvVnOxb1AI
Some cities are now using a service from ReCollect that let you figure out how to dispose of most materials, you could look on your smartphone if there's literally an app for it.
It even comes with your waste/commpost/recycling collection schedule, reminders, etc.
That kind of hazardous material such as CFL lightbulb will likely require special handling, so for that kind of stuff I keep a box for those items I can easily dispose of, that I'll bring to my local ecocenter when it's full.
Every home has the miscellaneous hazmat box.
Granted this and another post here has me wondering how sincerely they are made but anyway you can't take anything for granted nowadays as different recycling providers will take different things and some stop taking things so you need to check their website like once a year. for example here is mine https://cdn.wasteconnections.com/cms/groot-west/Groot%20Recycling%20Guidelines.pdf
throw em in the ocean
I was just thinking that since I also have an old car battery to get rid of. I'll make a beach trip out of it!
It's a safe and legal thrill!
It's a safe and legal thrill!
bloop
Shout out to CrimeDad running all his own infrastructure top to bottom!
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