How To Dispose Of Fluorescent Bulbs

You cant just put them out with the cans and bottles. Even though fluorescent bulbs have 4 milligrams of mercury each our waste management professionals at RedBins know that they still must be handled as a hazardous substance.

How To Properly Dispose Of Fluorescent Bulbs Gorilla Bins

Mercury can be reused in new bulbs or products like thermostats.

How to dispose of fluorescent bulbs. However a few assessments before you proceed with recycling. Yes fluorescent bulbs can be recycled. Recycling CFLs and other fluorescent bulbs allows reuse of the glass metals and other materials that make up fluorescent.

There are various ways to dispose of CFLs and the only incorrect way is by putting them in the garbage. Properly dispose of fluorescent bulbs. While CFLs have many recycling options via mail-in programs and retail drop-offs fluorescent tubes are much harder to dispose of once their 15000 hours of lighting are over.

Use stiff paper such as an index card to scoop up the broken bits of glass and powder residue and dispose of it in a plastic bag or a glass jar. Store used fluorescent tubes in a closed container such as the tubes original cardboard packaging or a large plastic trash bag. Fluorescent tubes are a commonly used lighting source thanks to their efficiency and easy installation however whilst being freely used across the UK many people dont know how and why to correctly dispose of fluorescent lighting and these harmful products are ending up in landfills and damaging our environment.

Allow the room to air out for at least 10 minutes then follow EPA guidelines for cleanup. Of course youll have to find out if there are any recycling or disposal sites in your area first. Store them outside away from rain and water until they can be disposed of properly.

However they do break easily in the trash and can become a danger to sanitation workers and the environment. Luckily under the Environmental Protection Agencys EPA Universal Waste Rule many mercury-containing light bulbs can be treated as non-hazardous waste if properly recycled. Proper Way to Dispose of Compact Fluorescent Bulbs.

Use the sticky side of duct tape to lift any. Take the broken bulb remnants to your recycler if possible. Place any soft materials inside a sealed plastic bag.

Once the site is cleaned up wrap all the waste and broken bulb pieces in plastic bags. Many local recycling or environmental regulatory agencies recommend sealing the storage container or bag prior to pickup. Fluorescent tube bulbs can generally be recycled at the same sites that take used CFL bulbs but some retailers may not accept larger ones.

Check with your local garbage or recycling center to see if it is illegal to throw away fluorescent bulbs in your area. Some municipalities require broken fluorescents to be taken to the recycling center while others will tell you to dispose of them with the. Place the disposable latex gloves damp paper towel cardboard packaging or duct tape and other contaminated materials into a sealable bag or glass jar.

Compact fluorescent lightbulbs CFLs use 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent lightbulbs and last up to 10 times longer. How to Dispose of Fluorescent Light Bulbs Under the EPA Universal Waste Rule the mercury-containing light bulbs can be treated as non-hazardous waste if they are recycled. Compact fluorescent light bulbs CFLs and fluorescent tubes.

Fluorescent bulbs are more durable than traditional incandescents and most enter the trash unbroken. If handled properly the glass metals and other material components can all be recycled into other products. Avoid taping the fluorescent tubes together and try and place the lighting equipment in a box of some sort.

With that being said there are two main kinds of light bulbs available. Aluminum is recycled as scrap metal and the glass is downcycled into materials like concrete or ceramic tile. The method that the EPA recommends is to recycle them properly via their guidelines.

However if an accident happens and fluorescent tubes are broken then please use the following steps to properly dispose of broken fluorescent tubes. Place it outside of the house while you check with your local waste department for the best way to dispose of the bulb. Other materials in the bulbs get reused.

Recycle your bulbs when you can and cover non-recyclable bulbs like incandescent in cardboard or a paper bag before you put them in the trash. Managing and Recycling CFLs. Wipe down the area with a wet paper towel or old towel that can also be sealed up.

But it is a good idea to. Do NOT use a standard vacuum cleaner to clean up broken fluorescent tubes. 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.

Fluorescent tubes are shipped to a bulb recycler that uses special machines to extract the mercury and breaks down the aluminum caps and glass casing. What if I Have Fluorescent Tube Bulbs. The EPA-recommended method for the safe disposal of all types of fluorescent light bulbs is actually recycling.

Learn more about CFLs and mercury.

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