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

  • Indiana Wesleyan University Schedules Grand Opening for New Welcome Center

    Indiana Wesleyan University recently announced that it will soon open a new Welcome Center on its campus in Marion, Ind., according to a news release. The facility will serve as the home base for prospective students and their families to learn more about the university and student life there. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for February 19.

  • Harvard Announces Replacement Facility for Native American Program

    Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., recently announced that construction will begin this spring on a new home for its Native American Program, according to university news. The 6,500-square-foot, all-electric building will stand three stories and serve as the central hub for the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP).

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.