Lamp recycling information for Tennessee.
This page covers lamp recycling rules for Tennessee, 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 Tennessee treats spent lamps.
Each row comes from a Tennessee 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 | Tennessee lets businesses manage spent lamps under universal waste rules that closely mirror the federal rules, and handlers may also elect to manage non-hazardous lamps as universal waste. | Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Universal Waste Management in... |
| Household lamps | Households can bring fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent bulbs to TDEC's Mobile Household Hazardous Waste Collection Service events, held in spring and fall; businesses are excluded. | Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Household Hazardous... |
| Crushing lamps | Unlike the federal rule, Tennessee permits lamp crushers, with strict operator standards in Rule 0400-12-01-.12 paragraph (8). | Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Universal Waste Management in... |
| State program | TDEC Mobile Household Hazardous Waste Collection Service: State-run mobile collection events, spring and fall, that accept fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent bulbs from households only. | Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Household Hazardous... |
| Universal waste | EPA's state table lists lamps in Tennessee's universal waste program. | 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 | Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). | Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Household Hazardous... |
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.
Tennessee city pages.
Each city page carries the Tennessee rules above, nearby cities and any local programs we verified. Send your ZIP code with the form for a written quote.
B to E
E to L
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.
What Tennessee facilities teams ask.
Can a business in Tennessee put fluorescent tubes in the trash?
Tennessee lets businesses manage spent lamps under universal waste rules that closely mirror the federal rules, and handlers may also elect to manage non-hazardous lamps as universal waste. Send counts from your Tennessee site and we reply with a written quote.
Can lamps be crushed in Tennessee?
Unlike the federal rule, Tennessee permits lamp crushers, with strict operator standards in Rule 0400-12-01-.12 paragraph (8). Whole lamps are the simpler path: they ship as universal waste and keep their mercury inside until the recycler captures it.
How much does lamp recycling cost in Tennessee?
We reply with a written quote based on your counts and ZIP code. Public contracts price lamps by the foot, by the lamp or by the pound, often with a minimum charge per pickup. Our pricing page explains each unit.
Can you collect from a Tennessee 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 Tennessee site?
Send rough counts and your ZIP. The written quote will confirm whether pickup or mail-back is available for that location.