Lamp recycling information for Maine.
This page covers lamp recycling rules for Maine, not confirmed service availability. Send your ZIP and counts; any pickup or mail-back option will be confirmed in a written quote.
- Fluorescent, CFL and HID
- Ballasts and batteries
- Availability checked by ZIP
- A record for every job
How Maine treats spent lamps.
Each row comes from a Maine agency, statute or EPA page we read. Where a row is missing, we could not verify it, and the federal baseline applies until the state says more.
| Topic | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Business lamps | Businesses must recycle all mercury-containing lamps, including low mercury green end lamps, under the Maine Universal Waste Rule, storing them no more than 365 days. | Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Fluorescent Bulb Disposal |
| Household lamps | It is illegal to put mercury-added bulbs in the trash in Maine; households can recycle them free through the manufacturer program at municipal sites and retailers. | Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Recycling Mercury-added Fluorescent and... |
| Crushing lamps | Intentionally breaking lamps is treatment and may only be done at an authorized or licensed recycling facility. | Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Handbook for Universal Waste Generators |
| New lamp sales | Sale of new compact fluorescent and linear fluorescent mercury-added lamps banned from January 1, 2026, with exceptions for specialized applications. | Maine Revised Statutes, Title 38, Section 1672, Mercury-added lamps |
| State program | Maine mercury-added lamp manufacturer stewardship program: Lamp manufacturers fund a recycling program that places containers at municipal collection sites and retailers; households recycle unlimited CFLs and up to 10 linear, U-tube, circular or HID lamps per visit. | Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Recycling Mercury-added Fluorescent and... |
| Universal waste | EPA's state table lists lamps in Maine's universal waste program, citing Chapter 850, Section 3A. | EPA, Universal Waste Programs in the United States |
| Federal baseline | Under federal rules, business lamps can be managed as universal waste under 40 CFR Part 273. That means closed containers that prevent breakage, a label, and no more than one year in storage. | 40 CFR Part 273 |
| Regulator | Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). | Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Fluorescent Bulb Disposal |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Read from the sources named, October 3, 2026. Rows appear only where a source was verified. Federal rules shown where noted. States can be stricter. Not legal advice.
Maine city pages.
Each city page carries the Maine rules above, nearby cities and any local programs we verified. Send your ZIP code with the form for a written quote.
Sale of new compact fluorescent and linear fluorescent mercury-added lamps banned from January 1, 2026, with exceptions for specialized applications.
A sales ban stops new lamps from being sold. The lamps already in your fixtures still need recycling when they come out. Source: Maine Revised Statutes, Title 38, Section 1672, Mercury-added lamps.
What Maine facilities teams ask.
Can a business in Maine put fluorescent tubes in the trash?
Businesses must recycle all mercury-containing lamps, including low mercury green end lamps, under the Maine Universal Waste Rule, storing them no more than 365 days. Send counts from your Maine site and we reply with a written quote.
Can lamps be crushed in Maine?
Intentionally breaking lamps is treatment and may only be done at an authorized or licensed recycling facility. Whole lamps are the simpler path: they ship as universal waste and keep their mercury inside until the recycler captures it.
Is Maine banning fluorescent tubes?
Sale of new compact fluorescent and linear fluorescent mercury-added lamps banned from January 1, 2026, with exceptions for specialized applications. When new tubes get hard to buy, fixtures tend to convert to LED and the old lamps, ballasts and batteries all come out at once.
Can you collect from a Maine site?
Send your ZIP code and rough counts with the form. We check whether pickup or mail-back is available there before quoting. A city page is not a service guarantee. Every completed job ends with a recycling record.
Federal rules shown where noted. States can be stricter. Not legal advice.
Related pages.
Lamps waiting at a Maine site?
Send rough counts and your ZIP. The written quote will confirm whether pickup or mail-back is available for that location.