Fluorescent Bulb Recycling
Fluorescent bulbs and batteries will now be accepted from residents at the Community Recycling Center during regular business hours:
Mon: 10 am – 2 pm
Wed: 12 pm – 8 pm
Fri: 10 am – 2 pm
In late 2006, a program to recycle fluorescent lamps and batteries was put into place at the electronics recycling center. This program is free for residents and businesses are charged per type of lamp. We also have boxes available to package spent 4-foot and 8-foot lamps.
The program has been successful, but there are most likely a lot of these items that still wind up in the trash can. While the majority of fluorescent lamps still come from local industry, with the push for energy efficiency and the eventual phase-out of incandescent light bulbs, we are seeing an increasing number of compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) at our monthly collection. A lot of folks refer to them as “squiggly” bulbs because of their shape.
CFLs are much more efficient than a regular incandescent, but there is one downside. They contain mercury and must be managed as a hazardous waste. We were one of the very first counties in Pennsylvania to initiate an ongoing collection for all fluorescent lamps, mainly because we felt these items should not be placed in a landfill.
Residents are encouraged to recycle CFLs because of the mercury they contain. Our office has a brochure as well as a detailed information sheet on how to clean up a broken CFL.
We do not accept Incandescent or LED bulbs as they do not contain any hazardous materials and can safely be disposed of in your regular garbage.
The local Sylvania plant manufactures a halogen bulb that is not as energy efficient as a CFL, but much more efficient than an incandescent and it contains no mercury. It’s called the Super Saver. For detailed information, you can read about it on the Sylvania website.
Lamps accepted through the program:
DID YOU KNOW?
Fluorescent Lamps
Fluorescent lamps are three to four times more efficient in converting electricity to visible light. Fluorescent lamps contain small quantities of mercury, cadmium and antimony. It has been estimated that between 450 and 500 million fluorescent lamps are disposed of in the United States each year, dumping over 30,000 metric tons of mercury contaminated waste into the nation’s landfills.
Fluorescent lamps may contain up to 40 milligrams of elemental mercury, depending on the brand and manufacture date.
Lamps should be stored in a way that avoids breakage.
Place bulbs in box similar to the one they were shipped in, or in a specially manufactured container for recycling. Shipping containers can be saved and reused for recycling spent bulbs. Box should be filled, counted, and closed. Do NOT tape lamps together; simply fill box until it is full. Close and seal the box with tape and write the quantity on the end of the box.
Fluorescent tubes, compact fluorescents and High-Intensity Discharge (HID) bulbs (including mercury vapor, high pressure sodium and metal halide) all contain mercury. It is illegal to dispose of fluorescent and HID lamps in the trash. Intact, end-of-life mercury containing bulbs must be recycled. It is estimated that the mercury from one fluorescent tube can pollute 30,000 liters of water beyond a safe level for drinking.
It’s a fact – One Gram of Mercury Can Contaminate a Twenty Acre Lake.
Battery Recycling
We accept all types of household batteries for recycling. This includes batteries from toys, radios, cell phones, telephones, rechargeable tools and appliances, flashlights, you name it. All that we ask is that if the battery is from an appliance or tool that you bring just the battery and not the entire item.
We will now accept large motorcycle, tractor, or car batteries.
Batteries accepted through the program: