Fluorescent Lighting & Ballasts are Regulated

EPA initiated a mercury-containing lamp recycling outreach program in 2002 to promote mercury lamp recycling by commercial and industrial users. The outreach program aims to increase awareness of the proper disposal methods of these lamps in compliance with federal and state universal waste rules. This outreach effort will be effective in increasing the amount of lamps recycled in the short-term, as well as have lasting impact over the long-term.

Most light bulbs used by businesses contain mercury, including fluorescent tubes and high-intensity discharge lamps. Disposing of these lamps in the trash is prohibited by state and federal regulations (310 CMR 30), and enforced by Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

Keeping mercury out of the trash through recycling can make a difference in our community and at your business. When an employee throws bulbs into a compactor or dumpster, the broken bulbs release mercury vapors that can be inhaled by anyone in the area. Read about the mercury cycle and how mercury gets into fish, which is how most people are exposed to mercury.

Even small quantities of mercury are extremely toxic and can harm the human nervous system, vision and hearing. Mercury is especially dangerous for children and fetuses. The EPA recently estimated that every year 630,000 newborns in our country are at risk for health problems because of unsafe mercury levels.