Recycle Old Tube Lights

Recycle fluorescent lights cfls and hids at no charge throughout washington state.

Recycle old tube lights.

Some bulb manufacturers and other organizations sell pre labeled recycling kits that allow you to mail used bulbs to recycling centers. Be sure to call the store ahead of time before you bring in your old tubes. 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. 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.

Many recycling locations have temporarily closed and we expect more to follow. Given the current situation we encourage you to reserve your recycling for when the covid 19 pandemic has passed. You can bring old cfls to the home depot for free recycling. 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.

That can lead to short term health risk for exposed individuals and lasting environmental damage to soil and water. Visit the eco options website to learn more. Fluorescent bulbs or tubes fall into the hazardous waste category since they also contain mercury. Note that some stores may only recycle certain types of bulbs such as cfls or 4 ft 1 2 m fluorescent tubes.

The epa recommends that you bring old cfls to qualified recyclers rather than disposing of them in trash cans or curbside recycling bins. If you re concerned about the mercury content in cfls consider led bulbs. Dave lake of colerain township has been replacing his unattractive fluorescent light bulbs in his home with new led bulbs. Luckily these tubes will last up to 15 000 hours so you won t need to worry about recycling them often.

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. The cost of each kit includes shipping charges to the recycling center. Social distancing is strongly encouraged as is staying home.