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Fluorescent Lighting
National Information
Consumer Products: Fluorescent Lamps
Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs factsheet (PDF) (3 pages)
Recycling Programs in your state
Additional resource for Fluorescent light bulb information, including clean up and recycling 
Mercury use in products is one of the largest sources of continued use of mercury today. The very energy efficient but mercury containing fluorescent lamp is a common product found in your home or workplace.
The resources on this page provide information on how to manage fluorescent lighting, or contact information for whom to call with questions.
Where you Live: Recycling Fluorescent Lamps
- In Arizona (PDF) (3 pp., 117K)
- In California
- In Hawaii (Hawaii.gov contact page)
- In Nevada (Recycling hotline, by county)
How should I clean up a broken fluorescent bulb?
The following approach can be performed by the general public:
- Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
- Carefully scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a sealed plastic bag.
- Use disposable rubber gloves, if available (i.e., do not use your fingers). Wipe the area clean with a damp paper towel or disposable wet wipe and place them in the plastic bag.
- Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb (to avoid spreading mercury).
- Place all cleanup materials in a second sealed plastic bag.
- Place the first bag in a second sealed plastic bag and put it in the outdoor trash container or in another outdoor protected area. The bag should then be disposed of during the next normal trash disposal.
Note: some states prohibit such trash disposal and require that broken and unbroken lamps be taken to a local recycling center. - Wash your hands after disposing of the bag.
- Place the first bag in a second sealed plastic bag and put it in the outdoor trash container or in another outdoor protected area. The bag should then be disposed of during the next normal trash disposal.
- If a fluorescent bulb breaks on a rug or carpet:
- First, remove all materials you can without using a vacuum cleaner, following the recommendations above. Sticky tape (such as duct tape) can be used to pick up small pieces and powder.
- If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken, remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister) and put the bag or vacuum debris in two sealed plastic bags in the outdoor trash or protected outdoor location for normal disposal.
