What should I do with un-used incandescent light bulbs?

Question

I don't want to wait until I've used up all of the incandescent light bulbs in my house. I want to replace them all now with compact fluorescent ones, to begin saving energy immediately. What is the best way to dispose of the old, but not dead incandescent ones I remove from fixtures, as well as a stock of un-used incandescent bulbs that I have kept as spares? If I give them away (to Goodwill, for example) they will be wasting energy in someone else's home, but throwing them away seems wasteful. What should I do?

Answer 1

I might suggest you save them until winter and then swap them back in, putting the energy saving bulbs aside for a few months. Incandescent bulbs are so inefficient because they waste so much of the electricity making heat instead of light. But in winter you can use the heat; it isn't wasted! In winter your incandescent lights can help heat your house. Just switch back to the energy saving bulbs when the weather gets warm again.

Answer 2

Good for you. I've been doing the same, as the incandescent bulbs blew out, but I'm about to simply purchase enough compact fluorescent bulbs so that the rest of my lighting is fluorescent. Well, other than the two lamps that have halogen bulbs.

Contact your local government to check the recycling rules. Any environmental organization will also be able to answer this for you. However, how this can be done may vary from one jurisdiction to another, so the better place to go is to your local government.

The waste here, in getting rid of the incandescent bulbs, is in the money that we all of us spent on them.

Answer 3

The Government doesn't care about Liberty, Freedom, and personal responsibility. It goes far beyond light bulbs. It is all about Elitist Despotic Control and abuse of Power. There are valid uses for both types of lights. I buy and use both. Fluorescent lights are useless outside in winter. I'm not dumb enough to use heat producing incandescent lights inside in summer when I have to spend more on air conditioning to remove the heat they produce. LED will be best if they are ever perfected to the point where they become practical for home use. Out Government has no good sense, they are just tyrants without brains.

Answer 4

You are very considerate, but I understand how you feel, this has also happened to me. We recently had a power outage which for some reason burned out my fluorescent lights. Thankfully I did not get rid of my other bulbs. You can always save them for times like these or you may wish to give them away to people who don’t mind using them. Shelters always appreciate donations. And although you have reservations about giving them to Goodwill or others like them, a lot of people will appreciate bulbs for a good price, even if they don’t save energy.

Answer 5

Doesn't matter much. Household incandescents aren't very expensive. Unless you have a huge quantity just pitch them or keep them as spares.

Answer 6

It's too late to "save the earth" after you already bought the things, all the energy and resources required to make that 25 cent bulb hs already been used.

Answer 7

Funny you should post this...I just did a total change out in my Apartment Tuesday. The bulbs are just sitting on the table, I think I'm just gonna throw them out...I guess I'll do that now since I'm thinking of it.

Answer 8

Unfortunately, you may save a bit of energy when you use the compacts but remember, they contain toxic metals like mercury and actally have citcuit boards in them with lead. We may be saving energy now but just postponing the problem when we find our landfills are leaching lead and mercury ten years from now. Keep them as spares

Answer 9

Throw them away. There's no perfect solution, but that's the best one.

Answer 10

Take them to a recycling depot.