I have been replacing the bulbs in my house with the compact fluorescent, my question is, what do I do with the old bulbs? I have just stuck them in a container and now I really need to figure out what to do with them. Can you recycle them? Do I just pitch them?

By Ginny~moderator on Monday, February 11, 2008 - 12:04 pm:

Just pitch them. My township is avid on recycling, but does NOT recycle light bulbs. Don't know why, but apparently it's the wrong kind of glass, and has lots of metal in it.

By Dawnk777 on Monday, February 11, 2008 - 03:41 pm:

Home Depot is supposed to take used compact fluorescents. You aren't supposed to just throw them away, since they have a little bit of mercury in them.

If they are used incandescent lights, then I would just throw them away. We have mostly fluorescent lights in our house, but miss using the incandescent lights. I just think they were brighter.

By Ginny~moderator on Monday, February 11, 2008 - 04:52 pm:

You're quite right, Dawn. I just assumed Sarah was referring to the old incandescent bulbs she is replacing, but, as my ex always says "to assume is to blunder". Absolutely, compact flourescents should not be discarded.

By My2girlygirls on Monday, February 11, 2008 - 06:19 pm:

I was referring to the old incandescent bulbs. Good to know about compact fluorescent and Home Depot though. Thanks.

By Karen~admin on Monday, February 11, 2008 - 07:30 pm:

We have started changing over to the compact flourescent bulbs. I HATE them. I hate the light they put out and they are dim. I cannot find the proper wattage bulbs in flourescent, so I have given up until they come out with it. But I still HATE fluorescent light.

By Dawnk777 on Monday, February 11, 2008 - 08:29 pm:

Yeah, I wrote the stuff about the compact fluorescents and then realized she meant normal light bulbs, so I went back and edited it.

Karen, I'm with you. I liked incandescents a lot better. My living room seems so dark with the compacts. Ugh.

By Bellajoe on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 08:16 am:

I've gotten the new 'will last 5 years, will save money on your electric bill" kind of bulbs. Well, they didn't last 5 years, they lasted
MAYBE one year, but i even doubt it was that long. I would return it to the manufacturer for my money back, but you have to send it with the scanner label (forget what it's called) and the original receipt. Who keeps the receipt for lightbulbs? Well, now I do!!
Oh, AND, one of the the bulbs we were going to use to replace it, does not work. ARGH!

By Karen~admin on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 09:17 am:

I believe there is a Bill introduced to the House to ban incandescent bulbs and gradually replace them with fluorescent ones. More on that HERE - and Here, and HERE.

By Dawnk777 on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 11:54 am:

Ugh. Guess we better get used to them, or stock up on the old ones before they stop selling them. Our compact fluorescents have never lasted as long as the packages say. We've never tried to get the money back, because like you said, who saves the receipts?

By Longaboo on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 02:39 pm:

Out with the old and in with the new. I LOVE the new lights! The curly ones that are supposed to save you money...To me the light is so much whiter and bright and I am using less wattage (or so they say, we'll see when the bill comes in).
I read the pack before I inserted them and it said to save the UPC code and receipt which I have. So when one goes out, they are giving me a new one (or so they say...we'll see lol) I have noticed that the = to 40 watt ones don't have that blank warm up period that the = to 60... and get just as bright. They take a little getting use to but so far we are adjusting, learning which one needs to be where. And what to do with the old ones? I saved all of them and if I move, they will go back in the sockets because those new ones are expensive little suckers. You could put them in a yard sale or donate them to someone or something..

By Crystal915 on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 03:09 pm:

The only problem with that bill is that some lights cannot use CFLs. I prefer CFLs because they are better for costs, but all of the rooms in my house have ceiling fans on remotes, and you can't use CFLs in them, it shorts the system. So what are we supposed to do then? I am not ripping out all the fans, not to mention I'm renting from a family friend who moved out of state, and doubt he wants to take them out either!

By Hol on Sunday, February 17, 2008 - 09:59 pm:

I refuse to use the new bulbs. I hate them! They are so dim. I had some in our overhead lights in the basement and it was SO dark down there. I buy incandescent bulbs that are supposed to asimilate natural day light. They are nice. I will use them until I can't anymore.