If there is one thing blatantly obvious in our home, it’s the fact that I love lamps. I’m a sucker for that dim cozy light in every room you walk into. Soft and soothing, it’s just so relaxing to me. Every room in our home has a lamp. With that comes a large amount of light bulbs. Every light bulb in our home does get recycled properly thanks to learning more about light recycling. But like myself, I’m sure you have some questions and need a little help in the right direction when it comes to recycling light bulbs. Where to take them? Why we do it? The benefits?
When you sit and think about it, it’s very easy to just toss it in the trash and forget about it. But do we ever really wonder what happens to them once they hit the landfill?What are the long term effects it may cause of them just sitting there? I’m going to answer this below. First I want to chat about a really awesome Canadian recycling program called Product Care Recycling… I was really lucky to become a little more aware and educated on this light bulb recycling initiative. It definitely makes me feel a little more at ease knowing that there is help out there for this and it’s way easier than I thought it was.
A little more about Product Care Recycling…
Product Care Recycling is a federally incorporated not-for-profit organization that devotes their time to recycling special waste items like light bulbs, making it easy for everyone to do their part with little effort, and also helping to spread the word and promote awareness.
They set up recycling locations for people like you and me to drop off our recyclable products. Then they transport the recyclables to be repurposed and disposed of responsibly.
Product Care recycles lights in BC, Manitoba, Quebec and PEI. Each province varies in the types of lights it accepts,, so be sure to check their website for a full list of what’s accepted in your province.
To learn more, visit the link here…
To learn more and visit Product Care visit the link here… Product Care
Q&A
What Lights Can Be Recycled In BC?
There are so many different types, sizes and kinds of light bulbs. In BC, essentially you can recycle all of them. From fluorescent, LED, CFLs, halogens, incandescent, etc. Even light fixtures like bike lights, holiday and garden string lights, standing lamps, and more! Fewer varieties are accepted in the other provinces, so be sure to check the website for a list of their specific accepted products.
Where Can You Recycle Them?
Product Care is awesome because they provide many recycling locations across each province – in BC there are more than 200 locations! From select retail stores and bottle depots, there are lots of options for you to choose where to drop off your lights. To find your closest location, visit https://www.productcare.org/products/lights/
What Are The Benefits Of Recycling Lights?
Some light bulbs, such as CFLs, contain mercury which can be harmful if exposed to our earth and waterways. It’s one of the reasons why light bulbs need to be handled responsibly and with care. We definitely don’t want any residue from these bulbs escaping and polluting our environment. So when recycling they can properly extract the mercury and dispose of it safely.
If we all do our tiny part helping out, our tiny part will lead to great changes for our country and hopefully influence others to do the same. Since 2010, more than 40 million light bulbs have been collected by Product Care Recycling in Canada. That’s 40 million items containing recoverable materials like glass and metal that were repurposed for new uses. That’s HUGE!
Best part is that the metal and glass from these are recycled into something else new! To learn more and follow along visit www.productcare.org and on Instagram using hashtag #recycleyourlights
Keisha Lynne, xx
{Disclosure this post was sponsored post as part of an collaboration program, however all opinions are my own}