Mercury into new lamps
EPA says recovered mercury goes into new lamps. Its demolition guidance adds a plain jobsite rule: fluorescent lamps should not be crushed. A whole lamp keeps its mercury inside until the recycler captures it.
Fluorescent lamp recycling for businesses.
We collect fluorescent, CFL and HID lamps, ballasts and batteries from buildings and job sites, by scheduled pickup or a mail-back box. Lamps stay whole, are sent to a permitted recycler, and every job ends with a recycling record.
- Tubes, U-bends and CFLs
- HID lamps
- Pickup or mail-back
- A record for every job
Lamp types
Every lamp type, and how each one ships.
Most buildings hold more than one kind of mercury lamp. The table shows where EPA lists each type, how to pack it so it arrives whole, and what we collect. Rough counts by row are all a quote needs.
| Lamp type | What it includes | EPA listing | How it is packed | Collected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T8 and T5 tubes | Straight fluorescent tubes, 2 to 8 ft long | Fluorescent lamps are on EPA's universal waste lamp list | Whole, in a closed box at least as long as the tube. Never crushed. | Yes |
| T12 tubes | Older, wider straight tubes, often in pre-retrofit fixtures | Fluorescent, on EPA's list. EPA says only T12 magnetic ballasts may contain PCBs | Whole, in long boxes. Their ballasts go in a separate container. | Yes |
| U-bend and circline | Bent and circular fluorescent tubes | Fluorescent, on EPA's list | Whole, in a box of their own. They do not fit straight-tube boxes. | Yes |
| CFLs | Screw-base and pin-base compact fluorescents | Fluorescent, on EPA's list | In a closed pail or box of their own. Some long-tube kits exclude CFLs. | Yes |
| Metal halide | High intensity discharge (HID) lamps | On EPA's list by name. EPA notes HID use in streetlights and industrial lighting | Whole and cushioned, in a closed box sized for the bulb shape. | Yes |
| High pressure sodium | HID lamps | On EPA's list by name | Whole and cushioned, in a closed box sized for the bulb shape. | Yes |
| Mercury vapor | HID lamps | On EPA's list by name | Whole and cushioned, in a closed box sized for the bulb shape. | Yes |
| UV and germicidal | Ultraviolet mercury lamps | Named in EPA demolition guidance among lamps for a mercury recycler | Whole, kept apart from other lamp types. | Name them in your quote request |
| Neon | Neon and other gas-discharge sign tubing | On EPA's list by name | Whole, kept apart from other lamp types. | Name them in your quote request |
| LED tubes | Tubes from LED retrofits and replacements | Not on EPA's universal waste lamp list. NC DEQ and California DTSC say businesses must evaluate them | Kept apart from mercury lamps. DTSC advises universal waste handling when unsure. | Name them in your quote request |
| Broken lamps | Any type above, cracked or shattered | 40 CFR 273.13(d)(2): clean up right away and place in a container | Sealed in a container of their own. Kept out of mail-back boxes. | Tell us when you request a quote |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Lamp lists: EPA universal waste page; EPA demolition guidance on light systems; EPA PCB ballast guidance for schools. Mercury: EPA's archived lamp basics page gives 3.5 to 15 mg per fluorescent lamp, by type, maker and age. LED guidance: NC DEQ and California DTSC.
After pickup
Where a recycled lamp ends up, and what you keep.
Lamps are sent to a permitted recycler. EPA says virtually every part of a fluorescent lamp can be separated and recycled. Your side of the job is the paperwork.
End caps sold as scrap
EPA says the metal end caps are separated and sold as scrap. The recycler does the splitting, so lamps travel whole. Nobody on site needs to take a lamp apart or sort its parts.
Glass remanufactured
EPA says the glass tubing is remanufactured. The phosphor powder that coats the inside of the tube is also among the parts EPA names as separable and recyclable.
What was collected
Every job ends with a recycling record. It shows what was collected. The paperwork in your files then matches what came off the ceilings and out of the storage room.
Where it went
The record shows the load was sent to a permitted recycler. That answers the first question an owner or auditor tends to ask about lamps that left a building.
Why it matters
ALMR, the lamp recyclers' trade group, says contractors "may share that legal responsibility" for lamp waste. Owners and contractors both gain from a record that shows where the lamps went.
Between pickups
Four habits that keep a lamp storage room in line.
Federal universal waste rules set the routine for lamps waiting to ship, whether they leave by truck or in a box. Each step names the section of 40 CFR Part 273 behind it.
Keep lamps whole
Store tubes intact, never crushed or bundled loose. EPA treats drum-top crushing as treatment, and Vermont and Maine ban drum-top crushers outright.
Close and label
Use sound containers that prevent breakage (273.13(d)). Mark each one "Waste Lamp(s)" or "Used Lamp(s)" (273.14(e)).
Date the start
Storage can last up to one year (273.15). Show the start with a dated container, an inventory system or a marked area.
Tell the staff
Anyone who handles lamps should know the handling and emergency procedures (273.16). A short sheet on the storage room door covers it, including what to do with a broken lamp.
Federal rules shown. States can be stricter. Not legal advice. Crushing: EPA letter via NEWMOA.
IMAGE SLOT · lamp-recycling-retrofit-pull · 4:3
Retrofits
Tube supply is shrinking, so ceilings convert all at once.
DOE figures via LightNOW show new tube shipments fell from about 400 million (2015) to about 60 million (2022). When replacements run out, whole floors go to LED. The ballasts come out in the same pull, and we keep pre-1979 and unlabeled ballasts apart from the rest of the load.
How ballasts are handledIMAGE SLOT · lamp-recycling-broken-lamp · 4:3
Breakage
A broken lamp changes how it travels.
The rule is to clean up a broken lamp right away and place it in a container (273.13(d)(2)). Keep broken lamps out of mail-back boxes and list them when you ask for a quote. USPS lamp bulletins accept intact lamps only: "A broken lamp is classified as hazardous waste."
Read the full storage rules
Pickup or mail-back
Match the option to the job.
Volume, mix and condition decide it. The mail-back boxes page covers box sizing and packing for smaller loads. A site can use both: a box for routine burnouts, a pickup for the retrofit.
| Situation | Usually fits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A few dozen tubes at one office | Mail-back box | Sellers rate their largest 4 ft boxes for about 146 T8 or 68 T12 tubes. One box can hold a small relamp. |
| A full-floor LED retrofit | Scheduled pickup | Hundreds of tubes leave at once. Missouri's state lamp guidance calls prepaid small-shipment service significantly more expensive than pallet-load service. |
| Lamps plus ballasts and batteries | Scheduled pickup | All three streams leave together. PCB ballasts do not go in lamp mail-back kits. |
| Broken lamps in the load | Scheduled pickup | USPS lamp bulletins accept intact lamps only, and kits such as Uline's exclude broken bulbs. |
| Several buildings on one routine | Scheduled pickup | One schedule can keep each site inside its one-year storage window under 40 CFR 273.15. |
| A few 8 ft tubes or HID lamps | Mail-back box | Sellers list 8 ft and HID boxes, so a handful of odd lamps need not wait for a truck. |
| Demolition with lamps still installed | Scheduled pickup | EPA demolition guidance says lamps should be isolated, labeled and taken to a mercury recycler or consolidation site. |
| Alaska, Hawaii or outside the lower 48 | Ask first | Uline does not sell its kit in Alaska or Hawaii, and BulbCycle ships to the lower 48 only. |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
A rule of thumb, not a quote. Sources: Uline, BulbCycle, Veolia and LEL Environmental listings (2026); USPS lamp program bulletins (2013, 2014); Missouri state lamp recycling guidance; Lighting Resources.
Want a number for your lamps?
Send rough counts by type and we reply with a written quote. Units and public benchmarks are on the pricing page.
Universal waste lamps, defined
EPA's universal waste page lists fluorescent, HID, neon, mercury vapor, high pressure sodium and metal halide lamps. A fluorescent lamp holds 3.5 to 15 milligrams of mercury, per EPA. Universal waste can be stored for a year and ships without a hazardous waste manifest.
Lamp questions
What facilities teams ask about lamps.
Twelve questions from facilities, maintenance and retrofit teams, each answered with the rule or source behind it.
Do I need an EPA ID number for lamps?
Only if your site holds 5,000 kg or more of universal waste at once, counting lamps, batteries and other universal waste together. Under 40 CFR 273.32, a large quantity handler must get an EPA ID before reaching that amount. Regular pickups keep the amount on hand lower.
How should lamps be stored?
Whole, in closed containers that are structurally sound and prevent breakage, labeled "Waste Lamp(s)" or "Used Lamp(s)", with the start date shown. That covers 40 CFR 273.13(d), 273.14(e) and 273.15. Store by type so boxes fill evenly, and keep broken lamps sealed in a container of their own.
Do HID lamps contain mercury?
Yes. EPA's lamp basics page names HID lamps, used in streetlights and industrial lighting, among mercury-containing lamps. Metal halide, high pressure sodium and mercury vapor lamps all appear on EPA's universal waste lamp list. Pack them whole, apart from fluorescent tubes, and list them by type in your quote request.
Can broken lamps be recycled?
Yes, but they are handled apart from whole lamps. Clean up a broken lamp right away and place it in a container, as 40 CFR 273.13(d)(2) requires. Keep it out of mail-back boxes, which accept intact lamps only, and list broken lamps when you request a quote.
How often should lamps be picked up?
Often enough that no container passes one year in storage, the federal limit in 40 CFR 273.15. Beyond that, frequency follows volume and space. A retrofit may need a pickup per phase, while an office may fill one box over many months. We schedule pickup around your job.
What happens to the lamps once they're shipped or picked up?
They are sent to a permitted recycler, where the parts are separated. EPA says recovered mercury goes into new lamps, metal end caps are sold as scrap, and the glass is remanufactured. Each job closes with a recycling record of what was collected.
Do I have to count every lamp before they're shipped or picked up?
No. Rough counts by lamp type are enough for a written quote, such as 300 four-foot tubes and 20 HID lamps. Exact counts help when sizing boxes or planning a truck. The recycling record for the job then documents what was collected.
Are fluorescent tubes hazardous waste in every state?
Under federal rules, businesses can manage spent tubes as universal waste, a lighter path in 40 CFR Part 273. States can be stricter. California, Minnesota, Washington, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont ban landfilling lamps even from households. New York bars crushing lamps managed under its universal waste rule.
Are LED tubes universal waste?
Not under the federal list. EPA's universal waste lamp list names fluorescent, HID, neon, mercury vapor, high pressure sodium and metal halide lamps, and LED is absent. NC DEQ and California DTSC say businesses must evaluate LED tubes, and DTSC advises universal waste handling when unsure.
Do lamps, ballasts and batteries need separate containers?
Yes. Each stream is packed alone: lamps whole by type, ballasts in their own container, batteries by chemistry. One pickup can still collect all three. We keep pre-1979 and unlabeled ballasts apart from the rest of the load. EPA says they may contain PCBs.
What does the recycling record show?
It shows what was collected on the job and that the load was sent to a permitted recycler. File it with your storage logs and dated container records. On a retrofit, give the building owner and the contractor each a copy, since both may be asked where the lamps went.
Can we crush tubes to save storage space?
Usually not, and never without checking state rules first. EPA treats drum-top crushing as treatment. Vermont and Maine ban drum-top crushers, and six other Northeast states restrict them. New York DEC says lamps under its universal waste rule cannot be crushed. Whole lamps are simpler.
Federal rules shown. States can be stricter. Not legal advice. Sources: 40 CFR Part 273; EPA; NEWMOA; New York DEC; state statutes.
Related pages.
Tell us which lamps are waiting.
Rough counts by type are enough to start. We reply with a written quote for a scheduled pickup or a mail-back box.