Proper Disposal Of Fluorescent Lamps

The mercury inside fluorescent tube lights is hazardous so extra care should be taken to ensure that this material doesn t leak.

Proper disposal of fluorescent lamps.

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. Check earth911 for your area and call ahead to be sure or take your used fluorescent tube bulbs to your nearest household hazardous waste site. They should not be disposed of in your curbside trash. Easily identifiable by their narrow glass tubes twisted into curlicue shapes compact fluorescent bulbs cfls fit into standard light fixtures and last 8 000 to 20 000 hours.

Recycling prevents the release of mercury into the environment. These bulbs are most commonly used for industrial lighting and in commercial buildings. Many local recycling or environmental regulatory agencies recommend sealing the storage container or bag prior to pickup. In some areas it s actually illegal to dispose of fluorescent tubes in the trash so be sure to follow the proper steps in recycling your fluorescent tubes to avoid breaking the law or damaging people s health.

Other materials in the bulbs get reused. Store used fluorescent tubes in a closed container such as the tubes original cardboard packaging or a large plastic trash bag. Proper disposal of fluorescent and hid lamps. The universal waste rule of 1995 was designed to reduce the amount of rcra hazardous waste disposed of in municipal waste landfills encourage recycling and proper management of some common hazardous wastes and reduce the regulatory.

Ballasts manufactured through 1979 may contain pcbs. Fluorescent lamps are hazardous because they contain mercury. Learn more about cfls and mercury. Fluorescent tubes can last up to 15 000 hours making them a common choice for business classrooms etc.

The illinois pollution control board amended the illinois universal waste rule on april 2 1998 to cover lamps that meet the definition of hazardous waste. The new rule became effective on jan. Fluorescent tube bulbs can generally be recycled at the same sites that take used cfl bulbs but some retailers may not accept larger ones. Fluorescent and high intensity discharge hid lamps use less electricity per unit of light emitted than incandescent lighting which means lower levels of air pollutants such as mercury lead nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxides from electrical generation plants.

Fluorescent bulbs or tubes fall into the hazardous waste category since they also contain mercury.