There is now a huge focus on 'going green' and reducing the impact that our modern lives have on the environment.

There are many ways in which we can learn to be more eco-friendly, and choosing to recycle burnt out light bulbs is just one of them.

Unfortunately many people just don't know where to begin when it comes to recycling these bulbs. Even though some recycling may be collected from our home, there usually aren't any guidelines at all on how to recycle bulbs.

This Hub is here to provide you with a few general tips and guidelines. It doesn't go into complete specifics, since what you can do ultimately depends on where you live.

If you want to recycle burnt out light bulbs then it's important to realise that there are a number of different types of light bulb available.

Energy saving light bulbs will often contain mercury, which means they should be disposed of properly for health as well as environmental reasons. Exposure to mercury is not healthy, especially for pregnant women. Mercury is also an ingredient commonly found in fluorescent light bulbs and compact fluorescent light bulbs.

However, it isn't all bad. Light bulbs are always changing and they only contain small amounts of mercury. Don't start avoiding energy saving light bulbs just because of this ingredient - overall they are still better for the environment than traditional light bulbs.

You should always try to recycle any mercury light bulbs whenever you can. The best way to start is by going on your country's government website and looking up recycling plants.

In the UK, they do not collect light bulbs from our home so it's up to us to find a way of recycling them.

There are companies being set up all the time to recycle things such as bulbs, and the easiest way to go about it is to check with your local authority.

Although this might seem like more effort than it's worth, is it really? After all, once you've found out how to recycle light bulbs in your local area, you can easily recycle them each and every time. Not to mention the fact that energy saving bulbs last so long you'll barely need to buy new ones anyway!

It only takes a small amount of effort to recycle burnt out light bulbs, and you'll be helping the environment in a great way. And, with the internet, finding out your local recycling schemes is now easier than ever!