The Green Parent

It’s official! The Home Depot is now offering free CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb) recycling at all of its 1,973 locations nationwide. Just bring your unbroken bulbs to the returns desk and they’ll make sure the bulb is disposed of properly.

No Home Depot in your area? Check out Earth 911 to see if there is a fluorescent bulb recycler in your area. You can also recycle CFL light bulbs at IKEA (as long as you buy them there as well) under their “take-back” program.

Another CFL recycling option is utilizing a mail-back program like the one offered by Lightbulbrecycling.com. For about $120, this company will send you a postage-paid plastic bucket which can hold about 30 CFL light bulbs. When the bucket is full, simply mail it in and they’ll make sure the bulbs are recycled properly. It’s a tad on the expensive side for the average household (and personally it would take me years to go through 30 bulbs) but might be a good option for a small business owner.

Now, you already know that CFL light bulbs are better for the planet and better for your wallet than traditional incandescents. And with all of these recycling options, there are no more excuses! Save energy, money, and the planet by switching over to CFLs.