It's official: European consumers struggle to tell apart different bulb types, easily confusing LEDs with incandescents, CFLs, metal halides, and others.

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　　So declared Brussels-based EucoLight, which cares about the muddle because it oversees lamp recycling in Europe, where different waste procedures can apply for different bulbs.

　　In a survey, EucoLight showed images of the varieties to consumers in six European countries, and found plenty of bafflement.

　　“Most consumers have difficulty in differentiating different lamp types,” said Nigel Harvey, a director at EucoLight. “That is why it is logical for all waste lamps to be collected in the same container.” EucoLight looks after lighting industry compliance with the EU's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment [WEEE] law for disposing, recycling, and reusing products and materials.

　　LEDs Magazine observes that European parlance probably contributes to the confusion, as CFLs (compact fluorescent) are generally known as “energy savers,” but LEDs are not. Even though LEDs are first and foremost associated with energy savings, vendors call them “LEDs,” while reserving the energy saver label for CFLs, which they tend to not call CFL.