Originally Posted by
Barbshobbies
It takes a lot to get rid of the newer bulbs. We are farm people and live where you have to take your garbage to the township dump on certain days. I bought one of the expensive bulbs, that would last 7 years, because we had an stair well that was very hard to reach to replace it, you know above cement steps. Well 5 mos. later it was out already, now I`m told our dump doesn`t take them unless they are in an-unbreakable container, and if it would happen to brake in my house I would have to go out side for 15 min. to let the house air out. Not to likely when we had 50 below zero wind chill factor this winter. It scares me. I would not change it at that time, but from the first day when I turned it on the bulb made a cracking noise when it was on, maybe because it was an unheated area?
Is it a compact flourescent (CFL)? Apparently they contain mercury, which is why disposal is so difficult. I did find this article on recycling flourescents:
http://www2.epa.gov/cfl/recycling-an...-cfl-burns-out
LEDs are much easier to recycle, although they also contain toxic elements:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...bulb-concerns/
Also, according to this article, most CFLs are not intended for outdoor use:
http://www.cnet.com/news/light-bulb-buying-guide/
Even light bulbs are complicated these days!