• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Building Basics
  • Maintenance & Decor
  • Green Homebuilding
  • Outdoors / Landscaping
  • Home Styles & Trends
  • More
    • Electronics & Gadgets
    • Health & Beauty
    • Hobbies & Crafts
    • Home & Garden
    • Jobs & Money
    • Outdoor Fun
    • Travel

Homebuilding / Remodeling Guide

Real People. Real Experiences. Real Helpful.

a Fun Times Guide site

search

Home » Home & Garden » Green Homebuilding » Fluorescent Light Bulb Recycling Made Easy

Fluorescent Light Bulb Recycling Made Easy

Pin
Share
Tweet

We write about products and services that we use. This page may contain affiliate links for which we receive a commission.

Every home (and most businesses) in the United States use light bulbs. Most homeowners use incandescent bulbs but a growing number use fluorescent lights, including compact fluorescent (CFL), or high intensity discharge (HID) light bulbs, while the majority of office buildings and warehouses use fluorescent bulbs. We need to know what to do with them after they’ve served their purpose.
lamps.jpg
Don’t throw away those old shop lights! Recycle them! Proper disposal of mercury-containing light bulbs, like fluorescent shop lights, helps our environment in more ways than one. The glass from the spent bulbs is remanufactured into other glass products and the mercury is reclaimed and reused in new fluorescent light bulbs and other mercury-containing devices. They even recycle the metal end-caps and phosphor powder.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that over 670 million mercury-containing light bulbs are discarded annually. That’s a lot of light bulbs to deal with. Where do they all go? Most of them end up in the landfill but a growing percentage of bulbs are recycled through lamp reclamation programs thanks, in part, to stricter federal and state regulations. That’s the good news.

If you want to make the responsible choice of properly disposing of your spent mercury-containing lamps, home or business, then I can help you out.

It is an inescapable fact that if you toss a mercury-containing light bulb into the trash, it will eventually break before it comes to rest in the landfill. When it does break, it will introduce (on average) 5 milligrams of mercury into the environment. That’s about 1/100th of the amount found in a mercury fever-type thermometer (Source). Now multiply that times, oh say… 500 million incidents per year and that means fluorescent light bulbs, CFL’s and HID lamps are a major contributor of mercury pollutants in our environment.

The point I’m making is that it’s a huge (global) problem that can be reduced with proper disposal techniques. All you really want to know is…How do I get rid of my spent bulbs and have a clear conscience? Read on my green friend.

The EPA provides information for homeowners with 4 steps for dealing with spent fluorescents and HID bulbs.

  • Safe Removal
  • Safe Storage
  • Proper Disposal
  • Transportation of Fluorescent and HID Light Bulbs

They also provide a map where you can click on your state or region to find recycling programs.

LampRecycle also provides an updated list of companies that recycle (or handle) spent mercury-containing bulbs. ‘Handle’ means that the company claims to follow federal, state and local regulations in handling and transporting the spent bulbs to a recycler.

Information For Businesses To Properly Dispose of Spent Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Facility managers take notice! The EPA also provides a plethora of information to businesses for dealing with spent fluorescents and HID bulbs.

Related

  • State Lamp Recycling Regulations
  • EPA Regulatory Framework
  • See how strict your state’s regulations are by visiting the State-by-State Stringency Comparison Table provided by LampRecycle.org.
  • What do I do if I break a fluorescent light bulb?
  • Mercury-Containing Bulb FAQ

Sources

  • LampRecycle.org
  • EPA
Randy
Randy

I started as a home-stalker… visiting brand new homes under construction in the neighborhoods near my house. That inspired me to write about home building and home renovation projects — chronicling homes during different phases of construction from a consumer's point-of-view. Basically, the tips you'll find in my articles are a collection of checklists for what I think should (and should not) go into building or remodeling a quality home.

Pin
Share
Tweet

Filed Under: Green Homebuilding, Home & Garden Tagged With: Green Products, Lighting, Recycled Materials

Primary Sidebar

About Us

RandyI started as a home-stalker... visiting brand new homes under construction in the neighborhoods near my house. That inspired me to write about home building and home renovation projects -- chronicling homes during different phases of construction from a consumer's point-of-view. Basically, the tips you'll find in my articles are a collection of checklists for what I think should (and should not) go into building or remodeling a quality home.

Randy: View My Blog Posts

LynnetteMy husband and I have been through the home building process... from scratch... more than once! (And we still have a few pieces of property that we might build on in the future.) So we definitely have some helpful tips to share when it comes to designing your dream home and building a house from the ground up. We've also learned that the 'fun' doesn't end once the house is built. Our clever home maintenance hacks will save you time and money each year that you live in the home. And... since everyone's house eventually needs a little remodeling (as has ours), we've got some ridiculously helpful home renovation tips as well! Whenever I’m not DIYing something around the house or adding to my Dream Home Wish List, you can find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).

Lynnette: View My Blog Posts

Top Searches

Appliances Architectural Styles Bang For The Buck Bathrooms Ceilings Celebrities Cleaning Tips Closets Communities Cool Products Customized Features Cutting Edge Decks And Patios DIY Doors Dumb Homebuilding Ideas Energy Efficient English Cottage Style Exterior Decorating Ideas Fireplaces Flooring Green Building Materials Green Homes Green Products Hardscape Hip And Historical Holidays And Special Occasions Home And Garden Tours Home Maintenance Insulation Interior Decorating Ideas Kitchens Landscape Ideas Lighting Money Saving Tips Paint Recycled Materials Remodeling Roofing Showers Storage And Organization Toilets Walls Water Windows

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
Fun Times Guide logo
Shop Our Favorite Items

Copyright © 2004-2021 The Fun Times Guide | Privacy Policy | About | Contact | Sitemap