Waste and Materials Management Program

Bulb, Lamp and Ballast

A number of Wisconsin companies recycle fluorescent lamps and incandescent bulbs. Copper coils and aluminum or brass end pieces are smelted and reused as raw materials for non-food products. Glass can be purified and used to make fiberglass. Mercury is distilled from the phosphor powder and reused in new lamps and thermometers.

Heavy metals like mercury can contaminate soil and water. State hazardous waste regulations prohibit businesses from disposing of waste lamps and light bulbs in sanitary landfills if those lamps and bulbs contain levels of heavy metals that exceed hazardous waste limits.

What Materials are Used in Bulbs and Ballasts?

• Fluorescent Bulbs - tube or compact globe
• HID (High-Intensity Discharge) Lamps - mercury vapor, metal halide, high-pressure sodium vapor, low-pressure sodium vapor
• Incandescent lamps
• Lamp Ballasts - metal unit that converts energy for use in a fluorescent lamp (transformer); may contain PCBs

What Types of Firms Assist in the Recycling Process?

• Collector / Hauler - provides curbside collection for businesses
• Consolidator / Sorting Facility - collects lamps from many locations and stores them in a central facility before shipping them to a lamp recycling company; may ship them directly from collection locations.
• Lamp Recycling Company - breaks apart and ships components to various markets.

What are the Different Types of Lamps?

• Fluorescent Lamps - the tube-style lamps were originally used as overhead lighting in offices; now available in compact globe shapes for both home and office use.
• Mercury Vapor Lamps - the first high intensity discharge (HID) lamp; blue-white light; originally used as farmyard lights.
• Metal Halide Lamps - newer, more efficient HID lights found in homes, offices, and retail display lighting.
• High-Pressure Sodium Vapor Lamps - white-yellow HID lamps used for street lights and outdoor security lighting.
• Low-Pressure Sodium Vapor Lamps - orange HID lights used primarily in commercial settings.
• Incandescent Lights - the standard electric light bulbs used in homes and offices.

What Precautionary Steps Should be Taken in the Storage, Collection, and Transportation of Bulbs and Ballasts?

• To safely handle your waste lamps and bulbs, place them in the box in which they were purchased or in special cartons provided by a lamp recycler.
• Store the lamps in a safe place to avoid breakage, and separate broken mercury-containing lamps in a heavy plastic bag placed in a rigid container. Lamp generators may collect waste lamps from several locations and store them in a central facility to ease transport and recycling. Mark the area as a hazardous waste or waste lamp storage area. Label the containers.
• Do not place broken fluorescent lamps in metal receptacles. Metal boxes will absorb mercury and become hazardous waste.
• Most lamp recycling companies offer transportation services. Waste lamp generators may also contract with a solid or hazardous waste transporter to take the lamps to a recycler or safely transport their lamps themselves.

What Regulations Must be Taken into Consideration When Disposing of Bulbs and Ballasts?

• State hazardous waste regulations prohibit businesses from disposing of waste lamps and light bulbs in sanitary landfills if those lamps and bulbs contain levels of heavy metals exceeding hazardous waste limits. These limits are determined by a common laboratory test known as the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP). As with other hazardous wastes, bulbs generated from residential sources are not regulated.
• The DNR has developed guidelines that encourage environmentally sound lamp and bulb recycling. The guidelines allow lamp generators to safely store and recycle their lamps without strictly following hazardous waste regulations.
• Waste lamp generators are encouraged, but not required, to fill out a hazardous waste manifest if their lamps are going to a Wisconsin recycler.
• When shipping waste to other states, check the transportation rules of those states. Transportation to another state may require use of a transporter licensed in that state and compliance with that state's hazardous waste transportation laws.
• People who transport waste lamps and bulbs for others must have either a solid or hazardous waste transportation license. Businesses that offer lamp and/or bulb recycling services must comply with hazardous waste recycling requirements.
• Businesses that do not recycle their waste lamps may be required to obtain storage, transport, and other licenses or approvals from the DNR.
• Some lamp ballasts contain Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). These wastes have certain handling, storage, and transportation requirements. PCB-containing waste should always be handled to prevent spills and damage to the environment. For further information see the Reference section below.

Where Can More Information be Obtained?

Additional information on specific materials may be obtained at:

DNR's Waste and Materials Management Program publications site
DNR's Cooperative Environmental Assistance publications site
University of Wisconsin Solid and Hazardous Waste Education Center publications site [exit DNR]