Recycle Old Tube Lights

How to recycle fluorescent tubes.

Recycle old tube lights.

The cost of each kit includes shipping charges to the recycling center. That can lead to short term health risk for exposed individuals and lasting environmental damage to soil and water. You fill up a kit with old bulbs seal it and bring it to the post office or leave it for your postal carrier. Fluorescent bulbs or tubes fall into the hazardous waste category since they also contain mercury.

Fluorescent tubes serve as an energy efficient alternative to incandescent light bulbs but they contain low levels of toxic mercury which can be released into the air or water if the tubes are broken. Recycle fluorescent lights cfls and hids at no charge throughout washington state. Be sure to call the store ahead of time before you bring in your old tubes. Given the current situation we encourage you to reserve your recycling for when the covid 19 pandemic has passed.

If you re concerned about the mercury content in cfls consider led bulbs. Many recycling locations have temporarily closed and we expect more to follow. The epa recommends that you bring old cfls to qualified recyclers rather than disposing of them in trash cans or curbside recycling bins. You can bring old cfls to the home depot for free recycling.

So he has been taking his old bulbs to lowe s and home depot for recycling. While compact fluorescent lightbulbs cfls have extensive recycling options through retail drop offs and mail in programs the same can t be said for fluorescent tubes. Social distancing is strongly encouraged as is staying home. Some bulb manufacturers and other organizations sell pre labeled recycling kits that allow you to mail used bulbs to recycling centers.

If you have old christmas or string led lights these can sometimes be accepted at your local lowe s or home depot so be sure to check when you are getting ready to replace your decorative lights. Dave lake of colerain township has been replacing his unattractive fluorescent light bulbs in his home with new led bulbs. Because it can be hazardous to transport the tubes you ll want to make sure the store will actually take them off your hands once you get there.