Halogen Lamps

Halogen lamps produce light as by product of heat and are inefficient lighting devices particularly for illuminating large spaces. Halogens are being partially phased out by the Australian Government and should be replaced with more efficient LED or compact fluorescent lamps.

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Halogen Lamps

Why Recycle?

Halogen lamps are more efficient than incandescent lamps and have a longer lifetime but like traditional incandescent bulbs they produce light as a by-product of heat and are only suited to down lighting where they highlight a particular area. For general room lighting they need to be used in large quantities to provide enough light, which means that energy consumption increases significantly. Some forms of halogen lights are being phased out by the Australia Government and will no longer be available for sale. Halogen lights contain no mercury and at the end of their life should be safely disposed of to landfill. They should not be placed in glass or co-mingled recycling where the heatproof glass will contaminate the recycling.

 

Recycling Options

Currently there is no national recycling program for halogen light bulbs. There are a number of commercial operators accepting mercury containing florescent lamps and they may also accept halogen. Halogen light bulbs can be safely disposed of in landfill.

 

What Happens When It's Recycled?

A normal halogen light bulb is made up of a small quartz envelope. At the centre of the lamp is a tungsten filament. The envelope also contains a gas from the halogen group, which combines with the tungsten vapour. Halogen bulbs do not contain mercury like compact fluorescent lamps (CFL's) and can be safely disposed of to landfill. They should never be placed in normal glass recycling or comingled recycled, as they are a contaminant.