Lamp recycling information for Washington.
This page covers lamp recycling rules for Washington, 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 Washington treats spent lamps.
Each row comes from a Washington 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 | Washington businesses may manage lamps as universal waste in sound, labeled containers for up to one year, then send them to a permitted destination facility; landfills cannot accept them. | Washington State Department of Ecology, Lights & lamps |
| Household lamps | Mercury-containing lights may not be placed in garbage or mixed recycling; households can use LightRecycle Washington collection sites. | Washington State Legislature, House Bill Report 1185-S2.E (as passed legislature, 2024) |
| Crushing lamps | Ecology tells businesses not to crush lamps when handling them as universal waste. | Washington State Department of Ecology, Lights & lamps |
| New lamp sales | Retail sale of mercury-containing compact fluorescent and linear fluorescent lamps banned from January 1, 2029, with existing stock sellable until July 1, 2029. | Washington State Legislature, House Bill Report 1185-S2.E (as passed legislature, 2024) |
| Batteries | Washington's producer-funded battery stewardship program begins collecting most small batteries in July 2027, with larger batteries such as e-bike batteries from 2029. | Washington State Department of Ecology, Chapter 173-905 WAC Battery Stewardship Program |
| State program | LightRecycle Washington: Producer-funded stewardship program for mercury-containing lights, operating since January 1, 2015, with collection centers for households. | Washington State Legislature, House Bill Report 1185-S2.E (as passed legislature, 2024) |
| Universal waste | EPA's state table lists lamps in Washington's universal waste program, citing WAC 173-303-573. | 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 | Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology). | Washington State Department of Ecology, Lights & lamps |
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.
Washington city pages.
Each city page carries the Washington rules above, nearby cities and any local programs we verified. Send your ZIP code with the form for a written quote.
A to I
I to P
Retail sale of mercury-containing compact fluorescent and linear fluorescent lamps banned from January 1, 2029, with existing stock sellable until July 1, 2029.
A sales ban stops new lamps from being sold. The lamps already in your fixtures still need recycling when they come out. Source: Washington State Legislature, House Bill Report 1185-S2.E (as passed legislature, 2024).
What Washington facilities teams ask.
Can a business in Washington put fluorescent tubes in the trash?
Washington businesses may manage lamps as universal waste in sound, labeled containers for up to one year, then send them to a permitted destination facility; landfills cannot accept them. Send counts from your Washington site and we reply with a written quote.
Can lamps be crushed in Washington?
Ecology tells businesses not to crush lamps when handling them as universal waste. Whole lamps are the simpler path: they ship as universal waste and keep their mercury inside until the recycler captures it.
Is Washington banning fluorescent tubes?
Retail sale of mercury-containing compact fluorescent and linear fluorescent lamps banned from January 1, 2029, with existing stock sellable until July 1, 2029. 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 Washington 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.
What should households in Washington do with old lamps?
Mercury-containing lights may not be placed in garbage or mixed recycling; households can use LightRecycle Washington collection sites. We serve businesses, property managers and contractors rather than households, so home lamps are best taken to a local collection program.
Does Washington have a battery recycling law?
Washington's producer-funded battery stewardship program begins collecting most small batteries in July 2027, with larger batteries such as e-bike batteries from 2029. For lithium batteries, EPA asks that each one be bagged on its own or have its terminals taped before it ships.
Federal rules shown where noted. States can be stricter. Not legal advice.
Related pages.
Lamps waiting at a Washington site?
Send rough counts and your ZIP. The written quote will confirm whether pickup or mail-back is available for that location.