Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Can I Recycle Lamps and Bulbs?

  • By Michael Tuymer
  • 02/01/16

You can’t just throw lamps in the trash. Lamps contain mercury and in most cases are considered hazardous. The EPA regulates the management of spent lamps. Most states do not allow hazardous lamps to be disposed in solid-waste landfills.

An environmental concern, mercury is a metallic element that can accumulate in living tissue. In sufficient concentrations, mercury may cause adverse health effects. Sources of mercury in the environment from human activity include coal-burning power plants, batteries, and fluorescent and HID lamps.

Small amounts of mercury are a necessary component in fluorescent and HID lamps, but when a lamp is broken, crushed or dispensed in a landfill or incinerator, mercury may be released to the air, surface water or groundwater. Considering this, it is a good policy to keep the mercury in fluorescent and HID lamps out of the solid waste-stream by recycling.

Lamps can be recycled through a bulk pickup service, prepaid mail-in containers (UNcertified for transit), or drums of crushed lamps using a drum-top lamp-crushing machine. The waste will arrive at a certified recycling facility where lamps are removed from their containers and fed into a specialized machine. The entire process is fully automatic and incorporated in a container in which the air is brought to sub-pressure, thereby preventing mercury from being released into the environment. The phosphor powder is separated from the glass and metal byproducts. Clean glass and aluminum end-caps are separated and stored for re-use. The mercury-bearing powder is collected, and then retorted to drive out the mercury. At the end of the process the glass, metal end-caps, powder and mercury can all be reused.

Once the materials have been fully processed by the recycling facility, an official certificate of recycling will be produced for your recordkeeping.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

About the Author

Michael Tuymer is project manager for Air Cycle Corporation. He can be reached at [email protected] or 800/909-9709.

Featured

  • Image courtesy of Kahler Slater

    UW–Madison Announces Completion of Morgridge Hall

    The University of Wisconsin–Madison recently announced that construction is complete on Morgridge Hall, a new academic building, according to a news release. The facility opened September 3 at the start of the fall semester, consolidating the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences into a single facility for the first time.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • NWEA Report Recommends K–12 Natural Disaster Recovery Strategies

    The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), a K–12 assessment and research organization, recently announced the release of a new playbook for schools and communities recovering from extreme weather events, according to a news release.

  • ed tech conference calendar

    Upcoming Awards, Events & Webinars