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What is the proper way to dispose of old tubes?

Are tubes considered hazardous waste? Do they require special handling to dispose of properly? Or are they just regular trash that can be disposed of in the garbage?

Note: I am not looking for responses of the type, "I don't know/care, I just throw them in the garbage." I have a bunch of burned out old tubes that I want to get rid of, and I want to do so in compliance with applicable requirements.
jimjoyce25
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
Sell them on ebay.
photon46
1,076 posts
 
There is a small amount of barium or strontium oxide in many tubes. Barium oxide is quite hydroscopic and the compound does not last long in the environment (according to info on the Eco-usa.net website.) So if you were to inhale or eat newly opened vacuum tubes, there is potential exposure to a hazardous compound. But in reality, it seems this is a case of Quixote like "tilting at windmills." There is a relatively high level of barium in certain foods we eat and there is barium naturally occurring in some water supplies, so it's not as if the stuff is like polonium.
glory's avatar
glory
1,614 posts
 
Feil,

Good one.

RZC of TM on Ebay would be a good drop off for "old" tubes.
Post removed 
rodman99999
5,988 posts
 
Put 'em in a blender and proceed as instructed here: (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/1064.htm)
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