How To Dispose Of Cfl Light Bulbs With Mercury
Mercury light bulbs fluorescent and high intensity discharge bulbs are energy efficient inexpensive and used in a variety of residential commercial and industrial situations including schools.
How to dispose of cfl light bulbs with mercury. Recycling cfls and other fluorescent bulbs allows reuse of the glass metals and other materials that make up fluorescent lights. Other materials in the bulbs get reused. Compact fluorescent lamps cfls which are popular in many households contain 4 mg of mercury on average. Your area may prohibit disposal and or require recycling.
Virtually all components of a fluorescent bulb can be recycled. Mercury is a precious metal in limited supply so reusing even the trace amounts in a cfl in new products is crucial. When a bulb breaks in your home some of this mercury may be released as mercury vapor. California maine massachusetts minnesota new hampshire vermont and washington.
But there are plenty of other types of lamps that contain more of the toxic chemical including neon and black lights fluorescents tanning bed lamps sodium and mercury vapor lamps metal halide and mercury short arc lamps. Keep reading to learn the how to dispose of light bulbs correctly. Cfls are shipped to a bulb recycler that uses special machines to extract the mercury and break down the aluminum fixtures and glass casing. Cfls contain trace bits of mercury and should be.
Follow the steps below for the safe clean up and disposal of cfls. This amount of mercury is harmless in the bulb but if the bulb is broken it can leak out and potentially pollute ground water. However recycling rates for cfls and other light bulbs are low. According to a november 2004 report by the association of lighting and mercury recyclers an estimated 70 8 percent of the mercury containing lamps used by business and 98 percent of the lamps used in homes are not being recycled.
Learn more about cfls and mercury. Recycle fluorescent light tubes compact fluorescent light bulbs by taking them to a hhw collection event or facility see links above or to a retail location. Mercury can be reused in new bulbs or products like thermostats. How to dispose of cfl and fluorescent light bulbs unlike incandescent bulbs cfl compact fluorescent light bulbs contain a small amount of mercury about 4 milligrams of the toxic metal.
When a bulb breaks in your home some of this mercury may be released as mercury vapor.