Last Updated on June 6, 2025
Curious what to do with a burnt-out lightbulb? Don’t just toss it in the trash – it might be recyclable.
I’m personally a big fan of LED lightbulbs. Not only are they better for the environment – hello energy saving – they’re great for your wallet. Swapping out your lightbulbs is one of the easiest ways to incorporate more sustainable tech into your home.
That said, at some point or another, lightbulbs go out. Regardless of their type (and there are quite a few – more on that later), it won’t last forever.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to recycle lightbulbs – and if you can’t, how to properly dispose of them.
what should I do with my old light bulbs?
What you do with your old lightbulbs all depends on the kind of lightbulb they are. Not all lightbulbs are built the same and each one varies in terms of recyclability.
It’s also important to note where you live will play a big factor in this, as recycling laws vary from state to state – even town to town. Always double check on your local state website for specific instructions.
Many people wishcycle lightbulbs, tossing them into the recycling bin, assuming it will be taken care of. However, you cannot put lightbulbs in the recycling bin.
Most curbside recycling programs are unlikely to accept them due to wires being hard to separate from the glass or contain hazardous waste materials.
That said, there are some ways to recycle lightbulbs outside of curbside recycling. But first, it’s important to know what type of lightbulb you’re dealing with.
Here’s a quick run-down of lightbulb types:
- Incandescent: Typical, old-school lightbulbs you probably have in your table lamp. Also found in car headlights. They often have a warm light with a vintage design.
- Halogen: These may be found in car headlights and underlighting of kitchen cabinets. Halogen lightbulbs have tungsten filaments housed in a quartz capsule and filled with iodine and bromine gases.
- Compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFL) + Fluorescent tubes: Tend to be found in retail spaces and warehouses. Contain hazardous substances like mercury, lead, and cadmium. They’re typically long, thin tube shaped lights, but compact versions often have a spiral shape.
- Light-emitting diode (LED): These have become popular in residential, retail, vehicles and office spaces. They typically resemble traditional incandescent lightbulbs in design.
are light bulbs recyclable or not?
Certain lightbulbs are recyclable but not with curbside recycling. Incandescent lightbulbs cannot typically be recycled (unless via Terracycle – a paid mail-in service) and must be disposed of via household trash. It’s recommended to double bag for safety.
However, the kind of lightbulbs that can be recycled include LEDs, Halogens, Fluorescents, and CFL. Be mindful that these are not often accepted for curbside recycling, but rather with mail-in or drop-off programs.
It’s important to note some areas may prohibit disposal and/or require lightbulb recycling. According to the EPA, the following states prohibit CFLs and other mercury-containing lightbulbs from being discarded into the landfill: California, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Washington.
As a general rule, it’s a good idea to brush up on your local state/county recycling laws to see what’s allowed near you. Checking your local waste management or .gov website can help you with this.
RELATED: How to Recycle Cellphones + Why You Should
how do you recycle light bulbs?
You recycle lightbulbs by finding adequate drop-off locations that will take them off your hands, or mail-in services. Some states do offer limited curbside recycling of certain lightbulbs (ex: California offers recycling for CLFs). Make sure to double check.
Here are some ways to recycle lightbulbs:
- Local recycling centers and retailers that have recycling programs
- Retailer recycling programs (Lowes, Home Depot, Ikea)
- Municipal hazardous waste facilities or safe disposal events
- Terracycle (you can mail-in traditional, incandescent, and halogen lightbulbs for recycling – but you do have to pay for this service)
- Mail-back services (some bulb manufacturers and other organizations sell pre-labeled recycling kits that allow you to mail used bulbs to recycling centers – like Ecolights, Lampmaster and Bulbcycle)
When in doubt, be sure to check Earth911 to see where to recycle lightbulbs near you – just punch in the kind of bulb it is and your zip code.
Please note that if a lightbulb is broken, even if it’s a type of bulb deemed recyclable, it needs to be disposed of properly. Use gloves or pick up with a cloth to avoid getting hurt. If it’s a broken CFL, or any bulb that contains mercury, here’s what the EPA recommends for cleanup.
does home depot recycle bulbs?
Yes, Home Depot does recycle Compact Flourescent Lightbulbs (CFL) as long as they’re not broken. The recycling bin is typically marked at the entrance of the Home Depot and they usually ask you to put it in the plastic bag provided before placing it in the bin. Recycling is free of charge.
upcycling lightbulbs
If you’re crafty and have the time, consider upcycling old lightbulbs into a fun craft! This is a great way to give it a new life without sending it to a landfill.
Here are a few lightbulb craft ideas to inspire you:
- Make a DIY lightbulb vase
- Turn them into lightbulb snowmen
- Transform them into ornaments – paint santa, an elf, or reindeer faces onto your lightbulbs
- Craft a snow globe
- Create a mini terrarium
Did you find this guide for recycling lightbulbs helpful? Let me know in the comments!
The post Can You Recycle Lightbulbs? appeared first on Going Zero Waste.
Curating a conscious home is a thoughtful process involving much consideration — who made my products, how they were made, and what are they made from — and this guide aims to support you on your journey towards finding ethical and sustainable home decor you truly love.
What is Sustainable Home Decor?
Sustainable home decor includes any home decor that is made in a way that takes into consideration both the makers and the planet. Sustainable home decor will be ethically made using eco-friendly and natural materials. Eco-friendly decor will also be produced using sustainable supply chain practices. This includes using renewable energy and recycled or compostable packaging.
While there are numerous sustainable home decor brands, some of which are featured below, first consider what’s already been made in order to prevent contributing to new waste. Secondhand, used, or DIY home decor options are typically more sustainable than buying new.
What is Ethical and Fair Trade Home Decor?
Ethical and Fair Trade home decor is produced in a way that adheres to Fair Trade standards and is, ideally, Fair Trade Certified. Fair Trade means paying artisans and makers a fair, living wage and providing ethical working conditions. Ethical home decor also includes supporting goods made by artisans using traditional heritage techniques and art forms. Many cultures around the world are at risk of losing their age-old artisanal crafts forever in the age of mass manufacturing.
It’s important to note that sometimes a major brand may use an “eco” fiber while still supporting irresponsible labor practices, and excessive production amounts that inevitably lead to a lot of waste. This is not true sustainability in my mind!
Most artisan-made home decor is ethically produced and directly supports the makers. However, it’s important to check if a brand or marketplace is transparent about their business practices to ensure they are ethical or Fair Trade.
Where Can You Find Sustainable Home Decor?
In terms of environmental sustainability, looking secondhand and vintage is always a great first place to look for sustainable home decor.
But if you’ve scoured those options and haven’t found what you’re looking for and/or if you’re looking to financially support artisans and traditional crafts around the globe, this shopping guide is designed for you. You’ll discover many brands with artfully designed and artisan handmade goods for furnishing any space among this list of decor brands.
All of the brands in this guide use natural and/or recycled fibers and avoid the use of virgin synthetics like polyester; however, some brands do use materials that are not the most environmentally-friendly option on the market, such as conventional cotton.
And of course, I wanted to choose brands that followed slow, thoughtful production practices, prioritizing artisan handmade over factory labor and quality over quantity.
So without further ado, here are my favorite small-batch, artisan-made, and ethical home decor brands.
Note that this guide includes affiliate links — as always, we only curate brands vetted for sustainability that we love (and that we think you’ll love too).
1. Urban Natural
Categories: Accent Pillows, Tabletop, Lighting, Wall Art & Mirrors, Blankets & Throws
Eco-friendly home retailer Urban Natural is on a mission to curate high-quality furniture (and other home goods) built with quality and free of toxic chemicals. Urban Natural carries several sustainable home decor brands, including artisan brands Ethnicraft and Jaipur Living as well as ethically USA-made brands Farmhouse Pottery and East Fork.
2. GOODEE
Categories: Pillows, Lighting, Wall Decor, Planters, Baskets, Blankets, Candles
GOODEE is an ethical marketplace featuring numerous sustainable artisan brands and designers. You’ll find a variety of beautifully crafted home decor goods to suit a wide range of styles. Goodee is a Climate Neutral and B Corp Certified company. They publish an annual impact report so you can easily ensure their business practices align with your values.
Our favorite brands on Goodee are Texidors, Baba Tree, Makaua, and Tensira.
3. Healthier Homes
Categories: Rugs, Lighting, Tabletop, Baskets, Wall Decor & Wallpaper
Founded after years running an award-winning healthy home building firm and publishing a book by the same name (Healthier Homes) this retailer is a go-to online destination for finding non-toxic home goods. The eco-friendly home decor on Healthier Homes is primarily made with natural materials like clay, cotton, seagrass, mango wood, and bamboo,
4. Will & Atlas
Categories: Baskets, Tabletop
Will & Atlas is a women-owned small business making most of their homewares from plant materials like jute, palm leaf, and hogla grass. Their natural fiber baskets are flexile but sturdy built to hold blankets, pillows, laundry, magazines, toys, or just to stand alone as a decor piece. You’ll also find jute coasters and placemats in their tabletop collection.
The brand is committed to ethical practices, partnering with nonprofit fair trade artisan groups in Bangladesh and craftspeople in the U.S. to build long-lasting production relationships.
5. Ten Thousand Villages
Categories: Baskets, Pillows, Throws, Candles, Wall Art, Planters & Vases
Founded 80 years ago, Ten Thousand Villages is the original fair trade store. Throughout the decades, the nonprofit business has continued their commitment to fair wages, safe working conditions, as well as sustainability.
As a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization, with artisans around the world from under-resourced communities. Most of the products they carry are made from recycled, upcycled, and natural materials.
6. MagicLinen
Categories: Curtains, Kitchen Linens
Linen is an exceptional material for home decor — there’s a reason we say “kitchen linens!” It’s natural, beautiful, and is often high quality.
I purchased a set of linen curtains from Magic Linen one year ago and they remain one of my favorite home decor pieces. The fabric they use meets the OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100, meaning its been tested for harmful substances.
7. Passion Lilie
Categories: Pillow Covers, Table Linens
Passion Lilie is a fair trade fashion and lifestyle brand with ethically made home decor, too. The Fair Trade Verified brand has handwoven cotton blankets, organic cotton kitchen linens, unique ornaments, and hand-dyed throw pillow covers.
Each piece is made by Passion Lilie’s partners in India who pay living wages and ensure a safe working environment. Beyond this, the brand supports efforts to enable artisans to continually develop their skills and creates opportunities for community development.
8. 54kibo
Categories: Throw Pillows, Wall Hangings & Artwork, Mirrors, Baskets, Rugs, Lighting
A destination for modern African artisanal decor, 54kibo curates a stunning selection of ethically made home decor. The pieces on 54kibo are made with time-honored techniques using locally sourced materials with rich histories. The designs are exceptional, but the stories behind them make the pieces beautiful additions to your home beyond the surface.
9. The Citizenry
Categories: Baskets, Planters & Vases, Tabletop, Wall Decor, Mirrors
The Citizenry partners with artisans around the world, ensuring safe conditions, fair wages, and offering grants to their artisan partners so that they can expand their businesses.
Their online collection features small-batch artisan-made home goods made from locally-sourced and natural materials like palm leaves and indigo dyes.
More Sustainable Home Guides:
Sustainable Furniture Brands to Furnish a Conscious Home
Best Eco-Friendly and Zero Waste Kitchen Products
Easy Swaps for a Low Waste, Sustainable Bathroom
The post 9 Beautiful Places to Source Ethical and Eco-Friendly Home Decor appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
9 Beautiful Places to Source Ethical and Eco-Friendly Home Decor
Take a look at why hemp is heralded as a hero material and discover 14 hemp clothing brands that have tapped into its sustainable potential.
The exploration of fabrics has always been a starting point for sustainable innovation in fashion. After all, fabrics provide tangible proof that change is possible while having a direct impact on the environment in one way or another. Plus fabrics are responsible for an outsized proportion of a fashion brand’s carbon footprint and overall environmental impact, including biodiversity loss and pollution.
So, What is Hemp Fabric?
Hemp is a bast fiber produced from the cannabis sativa plant, where every part of the plant can be utilized for over 25,000 industrial uses including clothing, biofuel, bricks, paper, and textiles.
Contrary to its popular association, hemp is actually the sober sister to marijuana. Unlike its recreational sibling that’s grown for its psychoactive THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) properties, hemp contains less than 0.3% THC, a value that was the driving force behind the legalization of hemp production in the 2018 Farm Bill. So while you can’t really get high from hemp, you can definitely enjoy its material benefits — which are plenty!
What is Hemp Clothing?
The simple answer is that hemp clothes are garments made from hemp fabric! But the important caveat here is that most hemp clothes on the market today are not made from 100% hemp fabric. They are usually blended with other fibers, like cotton.
At this point, hemp fabric manufacturing is not at the scale or technological level that the manufacturing of cotton (the most popular natural material) is, making 100% hemp clothing more expensive to produce. Also, pure hemp fabric is also known to be quite stiff until a couple dozen washes later, so blending it with a fiber like cotton can make it softer and easier to wear on the offset.
100% hemp fiber content clothing does exist, it’s just rare at this point. Though we do think this will change with more sustainable material investment happening in the textiles industry.
Is Hemp Clothing Comfortable?
It depends! The softness of hemp clothing will vary based on how the fabric was produced and if it is blended with other fibers like cotton or lyocell. Pure hemp clothing can be rougher than cotton, but hemp is known to get softer with every wash.
Also, since hemp is a natural bast fiber that comes from the softer parts of the plant’s stalk or stem, it is softer than the coarser leaf fibers.
Can Hemp Clothing Protect From The Sun?
A lesser known benefit of hemp clothing is that it can reportedly even help shield you from harmful UV rays. According to skin cancer research, a fabric’s UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) value is a number that coincides with the fraction of UV rays it allows to pass through and hit your skin — the higher the UPF number, the better the protection.
Research claims that hemp has a UPF of >50 (according to European standards) due to natural pigments and lignin within the fibers, which act as UV absorbers.
Is Hemp Clothing Sustainable?
There are a lot of benefits to hemp clothing. But don’t just take our word for it, we’ve listed some of hemp’s most impressive sustainable qualities below:
1. Hemp is not resource-intensive
Hemp can be grown under a variety of agricultural and ecological conditions and has a capacity to grow rapidly.
Hemp clothing vs. cotton: With a high yield of 250% more fiber than cotton, hemp requires less land to grow, has no need for harmful pesticides or chemicals, and needs as little as 1/3rd of the water compared to conventional cotton. (Though individual use cases may vary based on the region that each of the crops are grown.)
2. Hemp is a restorative plant
Growing hemp can also help contribute to the maintenance of soil quality, courtesy of its anchored roots which prevent soil erosion and nutrient loss.
In fact, research shows that hemp can be used to restore contaminated soils through ‘phytoremediation’ — a process that has proven successful in the early 90s when industrial hemp was planted in some of the polluted Ukrainian regions near the Chernobyl disaster where much of the land was rendered useless. The experiments showed that hemp helped remove radioactive elements from the soil.
3. Hemp can absorb carbon more than other plants
Hem can act as a carbon sink. According to a Cambridge University researcher, a hectare of hemp can absorb between 8-15 tonnes of CO2, giving hemp plants a vital role in reversing carbon emissions.
Impressed yet? Ahead, discover 14 brands that have some of the best takes on this sustainably versatile fiber.
Note that this guide includes affiliates. As always, all brands meet very high standards for sustainability and are brands we love that we think you’ll love too.
Where to Find Sustainable Hemp Clothing
1. Patagonia
Have an outdoor adventure coming up? Run for the hills in some of Patagonia’s functional hemp styles that’ll have you covered no matter what path you set foot on. Whether it’s a jacket, sweatshirt, pair of overalls, or technical pants, these styles are hard-wearing and made to last.
Patagonia stands by hemp as one of its hero fabrics and claims to consciously partner with suppliers that use unique processing techniques to minimize waste. The brand has also created unique performance materials by blending hemp with organic cotton, recycled polyester, and TENCEL
lyocell.
Many of Patagonia’s clothes a