Household Hazardous Waste
This item should never be put in a curbside bin. For more information visit our household hazardous waste page.
CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) are a type of energy efficient light bulb in which the glass tubing is curved or folded to fit into the shape of a traditional incandescent "light bulb," and include a compact electronic ballast in the base of the item.
This item should never be put in a curbside bin. For more information visit our household hazardous waste page.
Do not throw fluorescent or other mercury-containing lights in the trash or recycling bins. High intensity discharge, metal halide, sodium and neon lights all contain mercury as well. It’s illegal and mercury exposure can harm the brain, heart, and immune and nervous systems. Mercury products contaminate California’s drinking water, fish, soil, and air when they are not managed properly. The mercury limit in drinking water is 2 parts per billion in California, since even low quantities are extremely hazardous.
The following lamps are considered hazardous in California: fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps, HID lamps, High intensity discharge lamps, metal halide lamps, sodium vapor lamps, grow lamps, Zenon lamps, headlights - auto, mercury vapor lamps, video projector lamps, ultraviolet lamps, UV lamps, water treatment lamps, sun lamps, tanning lamps, mercury containing lamps, LED lamps. The following ballasts are considered hazardous in California: light fixture ballasts, lamp ballasts, electronic ballasts, fluorescent light ballasts, HID light ballasts, PCB containing ballasts, no-PCB ballasts.
Be sure to transport in a way that prevents breakage. If a light breaks, refer to epa.gov/cfl. If a bulb breaks, open a window to disperse mercury vapor, collect the shards with tape, and place in a closed and sealed container—do not vacuum!
How are lights recycled? Lights must be recycled at EPA-approved sites. Glass is recycled or landfilled, recovered metal is recycled, and mercury is stored, disposed, or reused.
Vendor | Address | City | Destination | Disposal Method | Notes | |
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Quick Light Recycling | 170 South Spruce Ave | South San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee | ||
Progress Hardware | 724 Irving St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | There is a 5 light limit per trip. | |
Pleasanton Transfer Station | 3110 Busch Rd. | Pleasanton | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | HHW drop off - residents only. No broken items! | |
Piedmont Fire Station | 120 Vista Ave | Piedmont | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Piedmont residents only. | |
Photo Waste Recycling Co. |
2980 Kerner Boulevard Northern CA Headquarters |
San Rafael | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee | ||
Pete's Ace Hardware | 2569 Castro Valley Blvd. | Castro Valley | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | CVSan directs Castro Valley residents encouraged to bring boxed CFLs and fluorescent tubes to Pete's Hardware. | |
Papenhausen Hardware | 32 West Portal Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Limit of 5 bulbs per trip | |
Pagano's Hardware Mart | 640A Central Avenue | Alameda | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | No large quantities. CFL's no longer than 4 ft. | |
Pagano's Ace Hardware | 2298 South Shore Center | Alameda | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | No large quantities. CFL's no longer than 4 ft. | |
North State Environmental (South San Francisco) |
220 South Spruce Avenue Suite 200 |
South San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee | ||
Markus Hardware | 625 3rd Street | Oakland | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | No large quantities. | |
Lowe's (Union City) | 32040 Union Landing | Union City | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
Lowe's (Livermore) | 4255 1st St. | Livermore | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
Lowe's (Fremont) | 43612 Pacific Commons Blvd. | Fremont | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
Lowe's | 811 E. Arques Ave | Sunnyvale | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
Lighting Resources Recyclers (EZ on the Earth) | 400 N Forsythe St | Franklin | Safe Disposal | Mail-in for a Fee | and ballasts | |
J & J Hardware | 929 Geneva Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | There is a 5 light limit per trip. | |
IKEA (Emeryville) | 4400 Shellmound St. | Emeryville | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
Home Depot (Union City) | 30055 Industrial Pkwy. | Union City | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
Home Depot (San Leandro) | 1933 Davis St. | San Leandro | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off |
Special Action | Note | ||
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Alameda |
Residents may drop off fluorescent tubes & bulbs at the ACI Alameda office. ### |
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Albany |
To dispose of CFL Bulbs call WM(510) 613-8710 for your free Vaporlok Foil Bag. Place up to 6 used, unbroken CFLs inside the bag, and keep sealed at all times. Place bag on top of the Recyclables Cart. ### |
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Berkeley | |||
Castro Valley Sanitary District |
Bring to CVSan Recycles Day in April or August, or bring boxed to Pete's Ace Hardware at 2569 Castro Valley Blvd, Castro Valley, CA 94546. ### |
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Dublin | |||
Emeryville |
Single family and multifamily accounts can order mail-back collection container at no charge. All Emeryville customers call to order container: 510-613-8710. Not collected curbside. ### |
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Fremont | |||
Hayward | |||
Hayward (Oro Loma - L2) | |||
Livermore | |||
Newark | |||
Oakland | |||
Piedmont |
Place unbroken CFL's in Ziploc bag on top of the recycling cart. ### |
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Pleasanton | |||
San Leandro | |||
San Leandro (Oro Loma - L3) | |||
San Lorenzo (Oro Loma) | |||
Unincorporated Oro Loma (L1) | |||
Union City |
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