Lighting recycling
How to Recycle Incandescent Bulbs
Traditional tungsten-filament bulbs. Trash-OK for burnouts. Not universal waste.
Special handlingUpdated Jul 2026
Quick answer
Incandescent bulbs contain no mercury and are not curbside-recyclable. Wrap a burned-out bulb and put it in the trash. Working bulbs can be donated; some IKEA stores also accept lightbulbs at their recycling point.
- Recyclable
- Not curbside
- Donate / take-back
- Available
How to Prepare
- 1Donate working bulbs if someone can use them
- 2Wrap burned-out bulbs before trashing
- 3Optional IKEA or Batteries Plus drop-off where offered