Recycling and Disposal After a CFL Burns Out
Storing CFLs and Other Fluorescents
Store fluorescent light bulbs in containers that prevent them from breaking, such as in their original boxes, boxes from replacement bulbs, or containers supplied by fluorescent light bulb recyclers. Recyclers generally require that the light bulbs arrive unbroken.
Related Topics
- CFL clean up and recycling: View and print a two-page color brochure (869K, about PDF) | en español (876K, about PDF)
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Want to recycle other wastes like paint, batteries and pesticides?: Contact Earth911.com to find a recycling center.
- Learn how to clean up and dispose of broken CFLs
- Main CFLs page
Related Websites
-
Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers
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LampRecycle.org, developed by the Lamp Section of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association
EPA recommends that consumers take advantage of available local options for recycling CFLs, other fluorescent bulbs and all household hazardous wastes rather than disposing of them in regular household trash.
View information about CFL recycling and disposal requirements specifically for businesses.
Why is Recycling CFLs Important?
- Recycling prevents the release of mercury into the environment. CFLs and other fluorescent bulbs often break when thrown into a dumpster, trash can or compactor, or when they end up in a landfill or incinerator. Learn more about CFLs and mercury.
- Other materials in the bulbs get reused. Recycling CFLs and other fluorescent bulbs allows the reuse of the glass, metals and other materials that make up fluorescent lights. Virtually all components of a fluorescent bulb can be recycled.
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Your area may require recycling. Some states and local jurisdictions have more stringent regulations than U.S. EPA does, and may require that you recycle CFLs and other mercury-containing light bulbs. California, Maine, New Hampshire (PDF), Minnesota, Vermont and Massachusetts
, for example, all prohibit mercury-containing lamps from being discarded into landfills. Visit Earth911.com
to contact your local waste collection agency, which can tell you if such requirement exists in your state or locality.
How and Where Can I Recycle CFLs?
► Contact your local waste collection agency
Visit
Earth911.com
to find collection schedules in your area or drop-off locations if curbside collections are not available. Note that waste collection agencies:
- provide services that are usually free, though some may charge a small fee.
- sometimes collect household hazardous wastes only once or twice a year, so residents will have to hold on to their light bulbs until the collection takes place. Other collection agencies provide collection services throughout the year.
- may also collect paints, pesticides, cleaning supplies or batteries.
- usually accept waste only from residents, although some collection programs include small businesses as well.
► Visit your local retailers
Many hardware supply stores and other retailers offer in-store recycling. Visit Earth911.com
to find stores in your area or check the list below.
Make sure you check directly with the store before you go; not all stores in regional or nationwide chains may be equipped to recycle.
- Ace Hardware store locator
- Aubuchon Hardware store locations
- Bartell Drugs
- Home Depot’s CFL recycling program
- IKEA store locations
- Lowe's recycling program and store locator
- Menards store locator
- Orchard Supply store locator
- TrueValue store locator
- Retail and other locations in certain counties and states:
► Find out about mail-back services
Some bulb manufacturers and other organizations sell pre-labeled recycling kits that allow you to mail used bulbs to recycling centers. The cost of each kit includes shipping charges to the recycling center. You fill up a kit with old bulbs, seal it, and bring it to the post office or leave for your postal carrier. Websites that provide more information about mail-back services
.
Please Note
- U.S. EPA does not endorse, recommend, certify, authorize or approve of any of these services;
- there may be other similar services of which we are not aware; and
- we only provide these links as a convenience to our web visitors.
- BakPak Mail-Back Recycling (NLR, Inc.)
- EasyPak from Lamprecycling.com (AirCycle)
- EcoLights
- EverLights, Inc.
- Heritage Lifecycle Mailback Services
- Lampmaster
- Osram Sylvania
- RecycleKits from AERC Recycling Solutions
- RecyclePak from Veolia Environmental Services
- Simple Cycle (Lamp Environment Industries, Inc.)
- Think Green From Home (Waste Management Inc.)
What If I Can't Recycle?
If your state or local environmental regulatory agency permits you to put used or broken CFLs in the regular household trash, seal the bulb in a plastic bag and put it into the outside trash for the next normal trash collection.