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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Alameda County Business Hazardous Waste Drop-in Program (Hayward Facility) | 2091 West Winton Avenue | Hayward | Safe Disposal | Drop-off for a Fee | Unbroken lamps only & ballasts. Boxes for lamps available for purchase to then fill and drop-off. | |
Pagano's Ace Hardware | 2298 South Shore Center | Alameda | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | No large quantities. CFL's no longer than 4 ft. | |
Standard Plumbing | 6122 Geary Blvd. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | There is a 5 light limit per trip. | |
g2Revolution |
8585 Pyott Road Suite 100 |
Lake in the Hills | Safe Disposal | Mail-in for a Fee | No LED bulbs, or broken CFLS | |
Cliff's Variety | 479 Castro St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | There is a 5 light limit per trip. | |
Lowe's (Livermore) | 4255 1st St. | Livermore | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
Alameda County Business Hazardous Waste Drop-in Program (Livermore Facility) | 5584 La Ribera Street | Livermore | Safe Disposal | Drop-off for a Fee | Unbroken lamps only & ballasts. Boxes for lamps available for purchase to then fill and drop-off. | |
Universal Electric Supply Co. | 438 8th St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | There is a 5 light limit per trip. | |
Cole Hardware | 70 4th St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | There is a 5 light limit per trip. | |
Lowe's (Union City) | 32040 Union Landing | Union City | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
Clean Earth (AERC) (Hayward) | 30677 Huntwood Ave | Hayward | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee, Mail-in for a Fee | Mail-in recycling kit only. Lamps including but not limited to: traditional straight, U-shaped and coated fluorescents, as well as mercury vapor, high-pressure sodium, metal-halide, ultraviolet, ARC, and compact fluorescent & HID lamps | |
Cole Hardware | 956 Cole St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | There is a 5 light limit per trip. | |
EZ on the Earth |
1919 Williams Street Suite 350 |
Simi Valley | Safe Disposal | Drop-off for a Fee | ||
El Cerrito Recycling + Environmental Resource Center | 7501 Schmidt Ln. | El Cerrito | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | We accept CFLs from residents within the Recyclemore service area. Proof of residency required. | |
North State Environmental (South San Francisco) |
220 South Spruce Avenue Suite 200 |
South San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee | ||
BulbCycle |
7700 Regents Road #113 Suite 547 |
San Diego | Safe Disposal | Mail-in for a Fee | ||
Cole Hardware | 2254 Polk St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | There is a 5 light limit per trip. | |
Cole Hardware (Rockridge) | 5533 College Ave | Oakland | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | 5 bulb limit per day (any combination of light bulb types). | |
Home Depot | 5631 Lone Tree Way | Brentwood | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
Safety Kleen Systems (Rohnert Park) | 5750 Commerce Blvd | Rohnert Park | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee |
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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