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04/03/2008: "How To Get Rid Of Mercury In Those Lamps"

SJ County hazardous waste collections schedules a compact fluorescent lamps (cfl’s) and fluorescent light tubes dump off times on:

Saturday, April 5th, 11 am to 2 pm, at the ORCAS ISLAND solid waste facility, and
Saturday, April 12th, 10 am to 2 pm, at the SAN JUAN ISLAND solid waste facility.]

Compact Fluorescent Lamps, known as CFLs, use 2/3 less energy than standard light bulbs and they last 10 times longer. That’s why the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends them as an “Energy Smart” solution to resource and energy conservation.

But CFLs and fluorescent light tubes contain toxic mercury gas and are to be handled with care in storage, installation, and disposal. Residents have the opportunity to have the mercury in these products safely recycled at this spring’s hazardous waste collections.


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Also, some retailers (e.g. IKEA) have take-it-back programs for CFLs. For those who cannot participate in the hazardous waste collections, these items can be taken to your island’s solid waste facility for transport to the eastern Oregon landfill.

Although CFLs have small amounts of mercury, the EPA advises that we be careful to avoid breakage (of fluorescent tubes, as well). Cuts from glass shards are actually the biggest risk. Here are EPA’s guidelines for proper clean up to minimize health risks:

 Wear rubber gloves. Take care not to inhale dust and ask others to vacate room.
 Sweep up carefully – DO NOT VACUUM – all glass fragments and fine particles.
 Place all materials in a sealable plastic bag.
 Wipe area with a damp paper towel to pick up stray glass shards and fine particles; add to plastic bag and seal for garbage disposal or for hazardous waste collection.
 Open windows to ventilate room.

Thank you for recycling and participating in hazardous waste collections.