# Still got spare new T12s? Get rid of 'em for free while you can



## Electric_Light (Apr 6, 2010)

Here's something that affects small-medium businesses that don't quite qualify for free disposal of lamps like residential users. 

If you have a lot of brand new spare T12 lamps, don't use them. If you do, its going to cost $$$ to get rid of them.

I suggest retrofitting now because currently they cost about $2/ea to dispose or about what good T8 lamps cost. They're still used in home shop lites and closet lights, so there's still demand for new old stock lamps. 

Reduce-Reuse-Recycle...and some Habitat Restores still take fluorescent bulbs if they're NEW IN BOX. I suspect T12s will cease to be accepted for donation and you have to pay to get rid of them as it recently happened to CRT TVs and monitors. 

A disposal kit that costs $108 includes return freight + lawful recycling for:
56 T12s, 121 T8s, and 192 T5s. 
Yep, $2.08/ea to DISPOSE T12s. 

$0.895/ea for T8s, $0.563/ea for T5s.
http://www.lamprecycling.com/store/products.aspx?id=35492
no, not endorsing them.. just giving ideas about disposal cost.


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## Deep Cover (Dec 8, 2012)

OOPS, they broke. :whistling2: Now I can throw them in the trash. :thumbsup:


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

Pretty sure we pay in the neighborhood of $0.50 per lamp for disposal.


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## Electric_Light (Apr 6, 2010)

Deep Cover said:


> OOPS, they broke. :whistling2: Now I can throw them in the trash. :thumbsup:


Or... just donate them now and get donation tax deduction...


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## Electric_Light (Apr 6, 2010)

BBQ said:


> Pretty sure we pay in the neighborhood of $0.50 per lamp for disposal.


For what type? Obviously F28T5 and F96T12 aren't going to have the same/lamp cost. Walmart relamp project that dispose by FTL gets a better deal than medium size businesses that only dispose a few cases at a time.


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## 10492 (Jan 4, 2010)

Anyone here from Delaware, got a bulb crusher for sale?


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

Electric_Light said:


> For what type? Obviously F28T5 and F96T12 aren't going to have the same/lamp cost. Walmart relamp project that dispose by FTL gets a better deal than medium size businesses that only dispose a few cases at a time.


Mostly F32T8s but with others mixed in. Or is that the issue? T8s cheep T12s not?


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## duque00 (Sep 11, 2008)

My local HD takes them FREE. Dropped 2 off yesterday. Done!!


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

Why not just wait until somebody really , really needs them and sell them for 6 bucks a piece?


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

I throw them in my garbage can and put a shovel in there and smash the **** out of them till they arent tubes anymore, just a pile of dust and glass shards. PAY to get rid of them? I think not.


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## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

TOOL_5150 said:


> I throw them in my garbage can and put a shovel in there and smash the **** out of them till they arent tubes anymore, just a pile of dust and glass shards. PAY to get rid of them? I think not.


I thought that was SOP?


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

ponyboy said:


> I thought that was SOP?


10-4 I dont get this paying to get rid of something you can take care of yourself.

Im going to get rid of a huge 21" tube monitor the same way.. right in the garbage can, slam it with a sledge, no extra fees.


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## AllPhaser (Jul 20, 2012)

Listen to all of you....


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## Electric_Light (Apr 6, 2010)

BBQ said:


> Mostly F32T8s but with others mixed in. Or is that the issue? T8s cheep T12s not?


Recycling boxes like the one I linked are flat rate. Since you can fit a tad over twice as many T8s compared to T12s, the disposal cost is less than half per lamp.



sbrn33 said:


> Why not just wait until somebody really , really needs them and sell them for 6 bucks a piece?


Inventory carrying cost my man. Unless you have a barn that will sit empty whether or not you have anything and you simply do not have any better use for that space, you don't want inventory. If storage and transportation cost absolutely nothing, lead or copper is just as effective as gold or silver as investment.



TOOL_5150 said:


> 10-4 I dont get this paying to get rid of something you can take care of yourself.
> 
> Im going to get rid of a huge 21" tube monitor the same way.. right in the garbage can, slam it with a sledge, no extra fees.


You can, but that's illegal. For a crowd that's nit-picky about unlicensed illegal work etc, I hope this is a joke...


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## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

If we were really supposed to recycle fluorescent lamps they wouldn't make them so fun to break on stuff


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## JoeKP (Nov 16, 2009)

TOOL_5150 said:


> I throw them in my garbage can and put a shovel in there and smash the **** out of them till they arent tubes anymore, just a pile of dust and glass shards. PAY to get rid of them? I think not.


That's how I do it!


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## nervous (Nov 13, 2012)

Give them to Goodwill.:laughing:


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## Electric_Light (Apr 6, 2010)

nervous said:


> Give them to Goodwill.:laughing:


 Yep. Before they stop accepting them like they did CRTs...


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

ponyboy said:


> If we were really supposed to recycle fluorescent lamps they wouldn't make them so fun to break on stuff


When we do lighting retro-fits many times the customers want paperwork showing proper disposal of the lamps. 

As fun as smashing lamps over each others heads is, we try hard to break as few as possible. :jester:


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## zwodubber (Feb 24, 2011)

BBQ said:


> When we do lighting retro-fits many times the customers want paperwork showing proper disposal of the lamps.
> 
> As fun as smashing lamps over each others heads is, we try hard to break as few as possible. :jester:


Same here regarding paperwork, specifically one of our main accounts. They want documentation on everything. We use Veolia Environmental services. They drop off all the packaging once we submit the scope and upon pickup they roll in their mobile printer and inventory everything.

As much fun as it would have been to whack each other with 280 8' T12's it would be hard to explain where they went to the customer :laughing:


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## Electric_Light (Apr 6, 2010)

zwodubber said:


> Same here regarding paperwork, specifically one of our main accounts. They want documentation on everything. We use Veolia Environmental services. They drop off all the packaging once we submit the scope and upon pickup they roll in their mobile printer and inventory everything.
> 
> As much fun as it would have been to whack each other with 280 8' T12's it would be hard to explain where they went to the customer :laughing:



and the cost?


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

zwodubber said:


> Same here regarding paperwork, specifically one of our main accounts. They want documentation on everything....:laughing:


 If universal waste is anything like hazardous waste disposal, it's because the company will get their ass handed to them on a plate if it is shown that their waste was disposed of illegally, _even if they paid a contractor to dispose of it properly_.


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## Toronto Sparky (Apr 12, 2009)

Mercury related illnesses will become the leading cause of death in the near future..
What is going to happen to most dead CFLs?.. Landfill? (or worse they get broken in your house) Be careful/responsible out there.. ( Mercury is one suspected causes of my terminal illness  )


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

Toronto Sparky said:


> Mercury related illnesses will become the leading cause of death in the near future..
> What is going to happen to most dead CFLs?.. Landfill? (or worse they get broken in your house) Be careful/responsible out there.. ( Mercury is one suspected causes of my terminal illness  )


they should take the garbage for free then. until then... garbage can and shovel.


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## Lighting Retro (Aug 1, 2009)

I pay about $0.07 a lamp plus shipping in bulk. To pay $2.00 a lamp is nothing short of ignorant, or the price for a small pickup. The prepaid boxes with the 6mil liners are a racket in my opinion. VERY profitable item for the recycling companies. if you want to see horrible pricing for small quantities, check out Veolia. Most states I can schedule a pickup for less than $250 for up to 8 pallets. When you divide the number of lamps by that cost, it's really a pretty insignificant price. Not unusual to see retrofit companies charge up to $0.50 for a 4' lamp for recycling. Not sure I've seen a national account bite off for more than that. They know better.


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## WestyLightBulb (Apr 9, 2012)

Well on the topic of T-12 fluorescent lighting, yes they are quickly becoming obsolete but they are still made with new phosphors to comply with the july 2012 rulemaking. for example, GE makes the new CX series of T-12s that comply, they have a high CRI of 87 and are reasonably bright at 2900 lumens. they are market primarily for the residential market because there is still a stronghold for T-12s in that application but they can also be used in commercial applications. Examples include Kitchen & Bath (3000K), Garage and Basement (4100K), etc which are sold at Lowes. Electronic T-12 ballasts are still available but don't know for much longer.

A little off topic, but regarding mercury issues you don't have to buy CFLs. There are a new line of incandescent bulbs that comply with the eisa 2007 minimum standards and are sold in 4 packs at Wal-Mart and many other large stores. It's like your choices have not changed, only that they come in weird wattages like 43w, 53w, etc and save 28% energy.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Toronto Sparky said:


> Mercury related illnesses will become the leading cause of death in the near future..
> What is going to happen to most dead CFLs?.. Landfill? (or worse they get broken in your house) Be careful/responsible out there.. ( Mercury is one suspected causes of my terminal illness  )


And to think we used to smash those bulbs and sprinkle the dust on our Cheerios :laughing:


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## Toronto Sparky (Apr 12, 2009)

HARRY304E said:


> And to think we used to smash those bulbs and sprinkle the dust on our Cheerios :laughing:


Back in the 60s I remember as a kid playing with a little ball of mercury that came from a broken thermostat.. Thought a liquid ball bearing was real cool...


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Toronto Sparky said:


> Back in the 60s I remember as a kid playing with a little ball of mercury that came from a broken thermostat.. Thought a liquid ball bearing was real cool...


Just think we will live 150 years for messing around with that stuff..:laughing:


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## hardworkingstiff (Jan 22, 2007)

Electric_Light said:


> Yep. Before they stop accepting them like they did CRTs...


I have a 15" Sony CRT monitor. Works great. I've had it in the box for 5 years now, and I plan to leave it to my children when I die. :laughing:


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## hardworkingstiff (Jan 22, 2007)

Toronto Sparky said:


> Back in the 60s I remember as a kid playing with a little ball of mercury that came from a broken thermostat.. Thought a liquid ball bearing was real cool...


I used to love the smell of gas back in the mid 60's.


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## Toronto Sparky (Apr 12, 2009)

hardworkingstiff said:


> I used to love the smell of gas back in the mid 60's.


And it tasted better back when it had lead in it.. :laughing:


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Toronto Sparky said:


> And it tasted better back when it had lead in it.. :laughing:


:laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

Toronto Sparky said:


> Back in the 60s I remember as a kid playing with a little ball of mercury that came from a broken thermostat.. Thought a liquid ball bearing was real cool...


 Silent light switches. Used to pry open the vials and take out the mercury. I think my childhood home is probably a Superfund site.


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## Electric_Light (Apr 6, 2010)

Just to update... EPACT did go in effect as planned. You will not see newly made general purpose T12s. They do sell F40T12s, but they're basically Colortone/DSGN/Chroma 50 which are 90-95 CRI and rated at 2,200 lumens, a total dim wit. The phosphor is also much shorter persistence, so the flicker is unbearable when used on magnetic ballast. Before EPACT, these lamps were only used for auto body shops, textile and rug show rooms, color booth and such where color matching is critical. 

I believe RE70s are discontinued as well (SP,741s etc). RE80s (SPX, 841, etc) are still around. 



hardworkingstiff said:


> I have a 15" Sony CRT monitor. Works great. I've had it in the box for 5 years now, and I plan to leave it to my children when I die. :laughing:


You'll likely have to pay $10-20/ea when you don't want it anymore. I fell in love with LCD monitor after my first one. The image is much crisper and boy do I love not having to leave room behind the desk for the ass end.
Your children likely won't be using any device capable of outputting the legacy VGA analog and by then, it'll be as useless as an old TV unless you go get yourself a analog-digital converter box


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Does anybody know what America produces besides regulations , and websites?


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## Bobaker (Sep 15, 2013)

I have quite a few large stores I service that still have t12 4100k in them.


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## Semi-Ret Electrician (Nov 10, 2011)

Big John said:


> Silent light switches. Used to pry open the vials and take out the mercury. I think my childhood home is probably a Superfund site.


My folks used to put mercury thermometers in my mouth..and other places


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## Toronto Sparky (Apr 12, 2009)

*http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/04/07/dangers-of-mercury-contamination.aspx 
*

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...-replaced-with-something-even-more-toxic.aspx


We're all doomed...


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