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
Rodman99999, I need to jump off of this thread, as I'm about to leave out for RMAF2008, and am in a relatedly ebullient mood. At any rate, I appreciate your sense of humor!

Yes, you're right, there is sulfuric acid on Venus. I was ignoring that and discounting Venus as "nature", as we do not live on Venus, nor does it support life as we know it, and couldn't because of that. With your permission, I'll revise my statement to mean nature in this case, being earth, specifically. But, considering nature as the universe, things like sulfuric acid, methane, ammonia and other things we could never tolerate in more than small quantities exist on other planets in high concentration. Anyway, as they say, women are from Venus, men are from Mars...

If one of my tubes physically broke, came apart from its base, or whatever, what would I do? I'd simply throw it in the trash. Apart from all of the back and forth in this thread, there really isn't much to worry about with a tube.

Now, as for me, how do I actually dispose of my vacuum tubes? In fact, I don't. Instead, I take a bit of string, tie it around the base or pins of the tube, and use them for Christmas tree decorations. I kid you not. People inevitably ask about them, and always think they're cool. One of these years, I should wire a couple of tube sockets into my string lights, and actually up the wacky factor by setting the tubes on glow.
Trelja- It wouldn't take much voltage to get the filaments lit. I'd like to see pictures of that(no doubt: every other AudioGoner would too)! Ya know- I never thought about that fact(women are from Venus). Is that why they're so acidic, er- acetic, OOPS- I mean acerbic?(there I go again) =8^) Have fun at the AudioFest.
Lighting your Christmas tree with illuminated vacuum tubes could well qualify you for a Darwin Award.
The filaments of most of our tubes only take 6 or 12 volts to illuminate. Way less than the 120 most strings require. Actually- Vacuum tubes would be safer on a tree. NOW- If you wanted plate voltage applied, THAT would be another story(and just might earn one a 'Darwin')!
Trejla and Rodman,
Where is the LOVE?
Mercy, mercy, me...

OK. Now that everything's kool and the gang, send me your tubes. I have a friend who is a master artist. He would love to have any tubes to use in his art.
Please don't throw them away.