How To Dispose Of Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Why recycle fluorescent tubes.

How to dispose of fluorescent light bulbs. Disposing of old light bulbs by throwing them away isn t ideal since glass can break and tear the garbage bag and a damaged light bulb could release gas like argon nitrogen or helium. Use cardboard to scoop and lift up the large pieces. Open a window and let the room ventilate for 10 minutes. 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.

Store used fluorescent tubes in a closed container such as the tubes original cardboard packaging or. Other materials in the bulbs get reused. Keep all people and pets out of the room for that time. If you break a fluorescent tube or cfl while changing it shut off any forced air or heat system that you have and allow the room to air out for ten minutes.

The epa recommended method for the safe disposal of all types of fluorescent light bulbs is actually recycling. Learn more about cfls and mercury. Put broken bulbs in a sealable container. But it is a good idea to take a few assessments about your type of business and your location s local and state regulation before you begin to decide how to manage your old broken or unused fluorescent lights.

Then clean up the bulb and recycle or dispose of it. Use gloves and sticky tape to pick up smaller pieces and shards. Recycling prevents the release of mercury into the environment. You don t want it to break in your car.

Rotate the bulb clockwise to loosen it then pull 1 end away from the fixture to pop it out. Contact your municipal or county government center for information about fluorescent tube recycling programs in your area. Turn off power to the light fixture and remove the tube. Pull the other end out of the fixture as well to finish removing the tube.

Wipe down the area. Use a ladder when removing the bulb to minimize the chance of you dropping it. How to dispose of fluorescent tubes safely. 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.

There s no recycling market for broken fluorescent lamps. The epa recommends these steps.