Solid Waste Industry Leads on Recycling CFLs

Waste Management Makes Safe Disposal of CFL Bulbs and Batteries Easier

Fluorescent lighting is a long-lasting and energy-efficient choice. Energy Star Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) consume 75 percent less electricity than incandescent bulbs and last 10 times longer. One CFL will save $30 in energy costs over its lifetime, reduce coal consumption by 200 pounds, and prevent more than 400 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.

Each CFL bulb and fluorescent tube contains a small amount of mercury (a hazardous material), so care should be taken when disposing of burned-out bulbs. Under federal regulations, commercial and industrial users of fluorescent bulbs are required under federal law to manage mercury-containing light bulbs as a hazardous waste after they burn out. Households are generally exempted from these regulations; although, some states may require the bulbs to be sorted with household hazardous waste or taken to a recycling facility.

Regardless of your local laws, CFLs should not be thrown out with regular household trash, where they will end up in landfills or incinerators. Recycling is the best and most environmentally responsible method of disposal for fluorescent bulbs. With an estimated 4 billion household sockets in the United States being filled with these energy efficient lighting options, we all need to recycle our bulbs to keep more than 17 tons of mercury out of the environment. By recycling CFLs, batteries, and electronics, we reclaim the glass, metals, and plastics used to produce them.

Some bulb-manufacturers offer take-back programs, in which burnt-out lamps can be mailed in for recycling free of charge. Bulb owners can visit the manufacturers’ web site for more information.

Waste Management, Inc., has started a comprehensive nationwide recycling program for CFLs and other fluorescent bulbs, batteries and electronics and computers. Waste Management’s Think Green® From Home program starts with an easy online order. The kit is delivered to your door. Consumers can simply set up the box, line it with the Mercury VaporLok bag, fill it with bulbs, seal and ship to us using the pre-paid shipping label. The zipseal Mercury VaporLok bag reduces the risk of environmental contamination from lamps broken during storage and shipping.

The solid waste industry is the leading collector and processor of recyclables that Americans generate every day. This Waste Management program is an example of how the industry uses is using innovation to increase recycling rates. Waste Management and other solid waste companies have introduced increasingly consumer-friendly and efficient methods of collecting and sorting to increase consumer participation in recycling.

Learn how you can recycle fluorescent and CFL bulbs.

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