Is there a proper way to recycle fluorescent lights?

Question

I have some old flourescent lights at home, and I'm wondering if I can put them in with the regular trash or should they be diposed of differently.

Thanks!

Answer 1

They should be disposed of at your usual recycling centre (The Dump)

Answer 2

Recycle fluorescent lights. When fluorescent light bulbs are recycled, mercury and the phosphor powder, the glass, metal, and other materials are sorted out for recycling. 100% of the glass, aluminum and other metals can be reclaimed and reused. Up to 99.9 percent of the mercury can recovered and useable for other purposes.

The ballast can be recycled to reclaim valuable metals such as copper and steel, thereby reducing the volume of solid waste sent to landfills.

Prepare fluorescent lights for recycling. If fluorescent light bulbs must be stored for recycling, store them in their cardboard tubes and in boxes protected from damage. When a fluorescent lamp is broken, the mercury can evaporate at room temperature.

You can always try visiting this website, it gives you recycling centers for everything you could imagine based on your zip code: http://earth911.org/