LED Bulb Disposal: Everything You Should Know

LED light bulb is king when it comes to light bulb longevity, but what do you do with them once they burn out? Luckily, LED light bulb disposal is pretty straightforward, and environmentally friendly disposal options are widely available. Today, we’re going to cover how to dispose of LED light bulbs and offer up some recommendations for the best LED bulbs to replace your old ones with.

Can You Throw LED Light Bulbs in the Trash?

You may have heard that certain types of light bulbs require special disposal methods and cannot be thrown out with regular garbage, is that also the case for LEDs? Simply put, LED light bulbs can be thrown in the trash as they do not contain any toxic materials; however, they still contain small amounts of heavy metals, such as nickel, lead, and silver, which are best recycled as opposed to heap into a landfill. Although LED light bulbs can be thrown in with regular trash, 95% of LED light bulbs can actually be recycled via certain recycling facilities. So, if you want to do your part in preserving your local environment, you should separate your used LED light bulbs from the rest of your trash and recycle them at a designated facility.

Are LED Light Bulbs Recyclable?

Some types of light bulbs cannot be conventionally recycled because they contain toxic materials, CFL bulbs may contain mercury, for example. Unlike CFL bulbs, LED light bulbs are largely made of recyclable materials and can be recycled; however, they cannot be thrown in with your other recyclables. Scroll down a little bit to find out how and where to recycle LED light bulbs; first, let’s go over the recyclable aspects of LED light bulbs.

Recyclable Parts of LED Light Bulbs

The exterior components of an LED light bulb are all recyclable. These components typically consist of an epoxy resin cover, housing for the bulbs, and the base of the bulbs. These parts are made of prepolymers/polymers, which are easily melted and reusable, and aluminum which can be recycled infinitely.

The interior components of an LED light bulb are mostly - but not all - recyclable. The interior components consist of an LED driver, circuit board, LED Microchip board, and light-emitting diodes (which are made up of semi-conductors). These parts are made of heavy metals like gallium, yttrium, lanthanum, and/or europium, which are not as easily recycled, but they aren’t toxic either. E-waste management techniques are still being developed and will hopefully be used at the primary recycling facilities in urban centers around the world.

How to Recycle LED Light Bulbs

Most public recycling facilities do not have the means to recycle LED light bulbs; however, there are still plenty of convenient options for LED light bulb disposal. Here’s how you recycle LED light bulbs from removal to the recycling center:

Turn off the lamp or light fixture to which the LED light bulb is installed then unscrew it.
Wrap the LED light bulb(s) in old newspaper or other forms of wrapping to protect the light bulbs from breaking. Some recycling facilities request that you individually wrap each light bulb to ensure that they do not break in transport.
DO NOT throw them in with the rest of your recycling. Store the LED light bulbs safely for transport and take them to the nearest place that recycles LED light bulbs.

Where to Recycle LED Light Bulbs

You can recycle LED light bulbs at big-box stores that deal with waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), like Lowes, Home Depot, or IKEA. Each of these stores has a slightly different setup for recycling electronic equipment like LED light bulbs, but luckily each branch of these stores has a similar layout and system, so you should just be able to apply this quick guide to recycling LEDs at your nearby store, whether they’re LED strip lights, Holidayleds, or just regular LED bulbs.

Lowes LED Light Bulb Recycling - Lowes has a recycling center in the store where you can take your LED light bulbs to it for recycling, but not every store accepts LED light bulbs. Be sure to call your nearest store before trying. Bear in mind that Lowes only accepts LED lights that are expired and do not accept broken LED light bulbs, that is to say, light bulbs that have shattered or are physically damaged in some way.
Home Depot Light Bulb Recycling - As of 2022, Home Depot has, unfortunately, reduced its once comprehensive recycling program. Home Depot light bulb recycling center now only accepts CFL bulbs; however, some stores can still take LED light bulbs. Right now, their website just says to go through a “third-party recycling company” to recycle your LED light bulbs. Check with your nearest Home Depot to find out more.
IKEA LED Light Bulb Recycling - IKEA is currently the best place to recycle LED light bulbs as they have an easily accessed in-store recycling section which accepts LED light bulbs, regardless of the physical state they’re in. The recycling section at IKEA is typically located on Level 1, right next to the revolving door at the entrance of the store. There is a wall with clearly labeled slots, just find the one labeled LED light bulbs (they even have a slot labeled Christmas lights recycle) and pop them in! Remember to wrap your bulbs to minimize shattering as there is likely someone who needs to sort through them at some point in the day.

Best LED Light Bulbs Recommendation

If you’re concerned about the impression you leave on the environment and want to reduce the amount of natural resources you consume and waste you produce, then we recommend using these exceptionally eco-friendly LED light bulb products.

Amazon A19 LED Light Bulb. Coming in a pack of 2 in either 100 or 60 watt incandescent equivalence, these LED bulbs can last up to 10,000 hours (that’s 9 years if used for 3 hours daily). These bulbs don’t offer anything fancy, they’re just standard, affordable, high-quality, LED bulbs that you can use to replace your incandescent bulbs to save on energy.
Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance LED Smart Light Bulb Starter Kit. Okay, these aren’t just LED light bulbs; it’s a portal to a whole new way of managing the lighting in your home. Philips Hue is a gold standard company in the lighting biz and this starter kit is a great way to get into the Smart Lighting revolution. Customize brightness and color, control your lights remotely from anywhere on your phone, and set schedules; it’s amazing what you can do with smart lighting and this kit is the best route into this bright new world.
Tasmor G9 LED Bulbs. If your main interest in LED light bulbs is their eco-friendliness and longevity, then Tasmor’s G9 LED bulbs are the way to go. We all know LED light bulb lifespan is impressively long, but these bulbs take it to another level by lasting over 30,000 hours. Light quality isn’t sacrificed either; they still provide 3000k brightness at 360 degrees and a Color Rendering Index of >80 which guarantees that there’s no effect on the original colors of your wall paint or furniture. Despite all these perks, these bulbs only use 7 watts of electricity, making them an exceptional choice for conservationists.

Hope that clears up your questions regarding LED light bulb disposal and which bulbs to replace your old ones with. Just remember that LED light bulbs can be thrown in with the rest of your garbage, but they can also be recycled at certain big-box stores; IKEA is your best bet. If you’re looking for more LED light bulb recommendations, feel free to check out this LED light bulb shopping guide.