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RECYCLING <br />ASSOCIATION <br />Mimwsoli <br />Fluorescent Bulb <br />Recycling <br />Using energy -efficient fluorescent light bulbs makes sense: you save money on <br />electrical bills, and they are better for the environment. Because these bulbs <br />contain mercury, all fluorescent bulbs from households must be recycled to avoid <br />polluting the environment and posing a health threat. It is illegal to throw these <br />bulbs out. <br />What bulbs can I recycle? <br />• Compact fluorescent bulbs (all sizes) <br />• Fluorescent Bulbs of all shapes and sizes (tubes, circles, U-shaped, bug <br />"zappers", tanning lights, and black lights) <br />• High intensity discharge (HID) lamps, typically used for exterior lighting <br />(metal halide, mercury vapor, and high pressure sodium) <br />• Neon lights <br />Where can I recycle my fluorescent bulbs? <br />• Hardware stores and retailers: Many retailers that sell fluorescent bulbs <br />also collect them to recycle. Contact your local retailer to find out whether <br />they accept fluorescent bulbs to recycle (there is sometimes a fee of $1 or <br />$2). Also check your electric utility's website. Many power companies <br />have arrangements with retailers to accept used residential bulbs. Some <br />utilities offer coupons to customers to cover the recycling fees. <br />• County household hazardous waste programs: Many county <br />household hazardous waste (HHW) programs accept used fluorescent <br />bulbs for recycling. <br />• For a list of retailers that accept fluorescent and HID bulbs, go to <br />www.earth911.org or call 800-253-2387. In the Twin Cities metro area go <br />to rethinkrecycling.com and outside the metro go to <br />recyclemoreminnesota.org to contact your local recycling coordinator. <br />Fluorescent bulbs save money and protect our environment: <br />• Fluorescent bulbs use only one-fourth of the energy of incandescent bulbs <br />and last as much as 10 times longer. Replacing a 100-watt incandescent <br />bulb with the equivalent fluorescent bulb will save you as much as $50 <br />over the life of the bulb. <br />• In 2009, Minnesotans recycled 680 tons of residential fluorescent and HID <br />lamps. <br />