Fluorescent lamp disposal
- Thread starter Finite10
- Start date
- Status
ohmhead
Senior Member
- Location
- ORLANDO FLA
Dont know the rules but our company has a machine at our shop that eats them up and we paid lots of dollars for it to do this .
We take all our tubes to the shop and they crush them up and package them for the land fill .
There picked up by a special truck from the land fill at our shop .
Cavie
Senior Member
- Location
- SW Florida
You can buy shipping ups shipping boxes prelabled at any good supply house. fill it and ship it.
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
In our area I just bring them to a special section in the landfill where they take bulbs, batteries, paint, ballasts, computer parts, etc. It does not cost anything except my time to take it there.
Used fluorescent lamps are classified as "Universal Waste" and they are supposed to be handed over to a certified or licensed recycler. The same is true for HID lamps. Broken lamps are classified as "Hazardous Waste" ( because of the mercury ) and it costs a bit more to dispose of them.
It costs me 10 cents a foot to get rid of unbroken fluorescent lamps, and I charge customers twice that.
It costs me 10 cents a foot to get rid of unbroken fluorescent lamps, and I charge customers twice that.
mjf
Senior Member
Find your local recycler
Find your local recycler
Trying to remember....I think I googled to find the local company that accepts them. They give me a certificate stating what and when I recycled. It's good to have for my records. I also give a copy to any companies I do lighting service work for.
Find your local recycler
Trying to remember....I think I googled to find the local company that accepts them. They give me a certificate stating what and when I recycled. It's good to have for my records. I also give a copy to any companies I do lighting service work for.
BullsnPyrs
Senior Member
- Location
- Saint Joe, Arkansas
Methods and costs depend on how many lamps you are disposing of at once. Use a licensed recycler and get a certificate. For small quantities a prepaid package is probably best. A quick Google search will get you plenty of places to call if you are recycling large quantities. Our recycler drops a storage trailer and provides the packaginging materials. Knowing how many and what kind of lamps ahead of time can get you a better price if you are dealing in large quantities.
We are getting paid 3 cents apound now for non-PCB ballasts.
We are getting paid 3 cents apound now for non-PCB ballasts.
It varies by State. Here in Michigan you'd need about 17,000 lamps before you're required to take special disposal actions.
http://www.deq.state.mi.us/documents/deq-ead-tas-eleclamp.pdf
And there's an EPA website about it
http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/wastetypes/universal/lamps/faqs.htm
Do I need to recycle low-mercury fluorescent lamps?
Under federal regulations, the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) determines if a lamp is a hazardous waste. Lamps that pass the TCLP test for mercury are not hazardous and therefore, are not subject to federal regulation. This test measures the leachability of certain metals, including mercury and organic constituents. Under this procedure, the waste leachate must contain less than 0.2 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of mercury in order to pass the test. Learn more about the TCLP. Some manufacturers of fluorescent tubes produce ?low-mercury lamps? that they claim pass the TCLP test for mercury.
And some information about lamp recycling. Be sure to ventilate the space while you're operating it.
http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/wastetypes/universal/lamps/lamp-recycling2-09.pdf
http://www.deq.state.mi.us/documents/deq-ead-tas-eleclamp.pdf
And there's an EPA website about it
http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/wastetypes/universal/lamps/faqs.htm
Do I need to recycle low-mercury fluorescent lamps?
Under federal regulations, the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) determines if a lamp is a hazardous waste. Lamps that pass the TCLP test for mercury are not hazardous and therefore, are not subject to federal regulation. This test measures the leachability of certain metals, including mercury and organic constituents. Under this procedure, the waste leachate must contain less than 0.2 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of mercury in order to pass the test. Learn more about the TCLP. Some manufacturers of fluorescent tubes produce ?low-mercury lamps? that they claim pass the TCLP test for mercury.
And some information about lamp recycling. Be sure to ventilate the space while you're operating it.
http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/wastetypes/universal/lamps/lamp-recycling2-09.pdf
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