Where does it go? Lightbulbs edition

Lightbulbs can be one of the most subtly delightful things in your home — the way they twinkle in a chandelier, help you enjoy a good book, or let you stay outdoors later with some friends under the sway of some string lights. 

When the bulbs burn out, however, it can be an ordeal to figure out what to do with them. Their fragile nature (and penchant for rolling off of countertops and shelves) makes them difficult to store up for recycling. And if potential broken glass isn’t bad enough, many higher efficiency bulb types like compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs contain vaporous mercury and phosphor powder (which mercury gets bound up with), which are both released when they break. Let us give you one less thing to worry about (and help recover all the recyclable materials in your bulbs) by taking them off your hands before they have a chance to accumulate!

Next stop: Ecolights

Once lightbulbs leave your bin, we process and then deliver them to our partner, EcoLights, to be recycled safely using specialized machinery and protective gear. As an end processor, EcoLights quickly works through over 10,000 pounds of lightbulbs per day, which equates to about 30,000 individual bulbs. Amazingly, their entire process produces no garbage — the lightbulbs are even transported in recyclable cardboard boxes, which the plant bales up and recycles at a rate of about 30,000 pounds each month.

Receiving of lights for recycling (these ones are from Ridwell!)

Ecolights’ process removes as much of the reusable components as possible, and carefully controls harmful substances to keep them out of the environment. Here’s a look at what happens to your bulbs after their shining power is all used up:

Step 1: Smash

While bulbs differ in terms of shape and composition, their recycling process all starts with the drama of crushing them into small bits by running them between giant rollers called trommels.

All of this crushing activity is surrounded by a sophisticated air transportation and filtration system, which sucks all the mercury vapor and phosphor powder out of the air around the broken bulbs. Ecolights staff working on or around the trommel machine always wear protective gear to prevent mercury exposure.

Step 2: Sort

Once the bulbs have been crushed into smaller pieces, the glass is separated from the aluminum end caps (those green or silver tips on the end of fluorescent lamp tubes), filaments and electrodes, and the ballast (the base of the bulb that gets screwed into light fixtures).

The broken glass pours out of the machines in a glittering stream, where it is collected to be recycled for use in concrete production or as engineered filler at construction and infrastructure projects. The end caps, electrodes, and ballast are recycled for their scrap metal content. 

Step 3: Retort

The phosphor powder travels on to a process called retort, where it is heated for a considerable length of time to drive out the remaining mercury. This enables the removal of mercury from the phosphor powder so it can be reused to make new lightbulbs all over again. Samples of this powder are periodically tested to ensure that it meets standards for mercury removal.

And, while we’re on the subject of smashing up lightbulbs: if your lightbulbs like CFLs (which contain mercury) do break, don’t panic! Here are some tips to help you clean up your bulb as safely as possible:

• Have people and pets leave the room.

• Air out the room for 5-10 minutes (Open an outside window or door). 

• Shut off the central forced air heating/air-conditioning system, if you have one.

• Don’t Vacuum!  Vacuuming can spread mercury, so it’s not recommended to do this unless broken glass remains after all other cleanup steps have been taken.  

• Collect broken glass and visible powder as thoroughly as possible.  

  • Scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard.  

  • Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any small glass fragments and powder. 

• Place all cleanup materials in a sealable container like a glass jar or plastic bag.

After cleanup, be sure to place all bulb debris and cleanup materials (including vacuum cleaner bags if used) outdoors in a protected area until materials can be disposed of.  

• Dispose of the bulb, following local disposal requirements in your area. In Seattle and Portland, broken bulbs need to be taken to your local Household Hazardous Waste Center. For the safety of our drivers and processing team, we are unable to take broken bulbs.

• Continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the heating/air conditioning system shut off for several hours.

Here’s where you come in

Ridwell members prevent an incredible amount of lightbulbs from going to waste — and from creating hazards in our environment — saving over 35,000 pounds of bulbs in 2021 so far. The next time a bulb burns out on you, grab a flashlight, then rest assured that Ridwell is here to help you recycle them responsibly. 

Don’t forget to share this post with your friends and neighbors to let them know there’s a much better way to manage lightbulbs — and no matter the bulb, it should never end up in the trash. Recycle bulbs the Ridwell way!