What to do with spent light bulbs
Not all light bulbs can go in the trash when they no longer work. Here’s how to know which ones can go in the trash and which ones should be taken to a household hazardous waste collection site.
Place these in the trash:
- Incandescent light bulbs
- Halogen light bulbs
Bring these to a household hazardous waste collection site:
- Fluorescent bulbs (all shapes)
- High intensity discharge (HID) bulbs
- LED bulbs
- Neon bulbs
Fluorescent, high intensity discharge and neon bulbs are considered hazardous because they contain mercury. LED bulbs are considered hazardous because they contain a circuit board. That is why these light bulbs must be disposed of safely at a household hazardous waste collection site.
Ramsey County’s household hazardous waste collection sites are free of charge. Check our website for locations and hours. Before you bring light bulbs to our collection site, remove the bulb from the fixture and place it in its original packaging or cushion it with fabric to prevent breaking. Do not tape bulbs together. If a fluorescent, HID or neon bulb breaks, refer to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's fact sheet on cleaning up home mercury spills.
As another option, you can bring fluorescent light bulbs to Home Depot, Batteries Plus Bulbs or Ikea for free. Also check with your local hardware store about collection options.
Visit our A to Z Recycling & Disposal Guide for more information on recycling and disposal of other items.