How to Dispose of Light Bulbs and Fluorescent Tubes

Businesses must not put light bulbs or fluorescent tubes in general waste. Fluorescent tubes, compact fluorescent lamps and other gas discharge lamps contain mercury and are hazardous waste, so they need intact storage in a lamp container, a hazardous waste consignment note and a licensed lamp recycler. LED lamps are WEEE and should be recycled separately, while standard incandescent and halogen bulbs are non-hazardous.

This guide explains how to tell your lamps apart, which waste codes apply, how to store and move them, and what to do when a tube breaks.

Which light bulbs are hazardous waste?

GOV.UK guidance on classifying waste electrical equipment sets out how lamps should be coded. For industrial and commercial waste:

• Linear fluorescent tubes (T5, T8, T12): hazardous, 16 02 13*
• Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and other non-linear gas discharge lamps, including high-intensity discharge lamps such as sodium and metal halide: hazardous, 16 02 13*
• LED lamps containing hazardous substances or persistent organic pollutants (POPs): hazardous, 16 02 13*
• LED lamps not containing POPs, and halogen and incandescent lamps without hazardous substances: non-hazardous, 16 02 14

Where lamps come from households, or are coded under the municipal chapter, fluorescent tubes and other mercury-containing lamps take the code 20 01 21*. The asterisk marks a hazardous entry. The guidance also says you must check the levels of hazardous substances and POPs in lamps before classifying them, because lamp components can contain flame retardants and other hazardous chemicals. If you are not sure, treat mixed lamp waste as hazardous and let your recycler confirm. Our guide to hazardous waste regulations explains what that classification means for your site.

How to dispose of light bulbs by type

Fluorescent tubes

Fluorescent tubes are the most common hazardous lamp on commercial sites. Remove them carefully, keep them whole and place them straight into a tube container sized for their length. Do not tape tubes into bundles or stand them loose in a corner, as that is how most breakages happen. Many sites are replacing fluorescent fittings with LED, which produces a large batch of tubes in one go. Our article on the fluorescent tube ban covers planning an LED upgrade.

Compact fluorescent and discharge lamps

CFLs, sodium lamps, metal halide lamps and other high-intensity discharge lamps also contain mercury. Collect them in a lidded lamp container, separate from tubes if your recycler asks, and never crush them on site.

LED lamps

LED lamps and LED tubes are electrical equipment and fall under the WEEE Regulations. They contain circuit boards and drivers, so they should be recycled as WEEE rather than thrown away. Keep them separate from fluorescent lamps where you can, because mixing a non-hazardous stream with a hazardous one makes the whole load hazardous. Complete LED fittings and panels are best handled through LED luminaire recycling.

Incandescent and halogen bulbs

Traditional filament and halogen bulbs do not contain mercury and are non-hazardous. Filament bulbs are outside the scope of WEEE producer reporting. Even so, a business producing them should still use a licensed waste route with a waste transfer note, and many lamp recyclers accept them alongside other lamps.

Light fittings and luminaires

The fitting is a separate item from the lamp. Old fluorescent fittings, emergency lights, floodlights and street lanterns are WEEE. Remove the lamps first and send fittings for electrical waste recycling.

How to store lamps before collection

1. Keep lamps intact. A whole tube holds its mercury. A broken one releases it, so storage is designed around avoiding breakage.
2. Use purpose-made containers. Long tube containers for linear tubes, and lidded boxes or pallet containers for CFLs, discharge lamps and mixed lamps. UN-approved containers are the safest choice for hazardous lamps.
3. Keep containers dry and covered, indoors or under cover, in an area where they will not be knocked by vehicles or trolleys.
4. Separate lamp types as your recycler advises, and never put lamps in a general waste or glass skip.
5. Label each container with the contents and keep the lid closed.
6. Do not crush lamps on site. Crushing releases mercury vapour and can require an environmental permit.

What to do if a fluorescent tube or CFL breaks

UK Health Security Agency guidance on mercury covers broken compact fluorescent bulbs. Its advice, which applies equally well to a broken tube at work, is:

1. Ventilate the room, as mercury can turn to vapour and be breathed in. The guidance says to ventilate for at least 24 hours for a spill in the home.
2. Put on disposable gloves.
3. Carefully pick up the broken glass and place it in a double bag.
4. Collect any mercury droplets and fine fragments with sticky tape or damp paper, then double bag them.
5. Use a torch to check for remaining droplets.
6. Do not use a vacuum cleaner under any circumstances, as this increases exposure by inhalation.

On a business site, seal the bags, label them as broken mercury lamps and store them in a lidded container with your other hazardous lamp waste. Tell your recycler they are broken. Large or repeated breakages should be covered by a written procedure and your COSHH assessment.

Paperwork for lamp and tube disposal

• Hazardous waste consignment note for fluorescent tubes, CFLs, discharge lamps and hazardous LEDs. The producer completes parts A and B, keeps one copy and gives two copies to the carrier. In England, consignment notes and related records are kept in a register for three years. Our hazardous waste consignment note guide walks through each part.
• Waste transfer note for non-hazardous lamps such as non-POPs LEDs, halogen and incandescent bulbs, kept for two years.
• Carrier and site checks. Use a registered carrier and a site permitted to treat lamps.

The rest of the UK differs in places. In Wales, premises producing or storing more than 500kg of hazardous waste a year must register with Natural Resources Wales. In Scotland, mercury lamps are special waste under SEPA rules. In Northern Ireland, hazardous waste movements need pre-notification to NIEA at least 72 hours in advance.

What happens to lamps after collection

At a lamp recycling plant, lamps are processed in a sealed system that captures mercury and separates glass, metal end caps and phosphor powder so they can return to manufacturing. LEDs are treated as WEEE, with circuit boards and plastics separated. Our article on what happens to fluorescent tubes and LED lamps after collection explains each stage.

Common mistakes with lamp disposal

• Putting tubes in a general waste skip or glass recycling.
• Breaking tubes to make them fit a container.
• Mixing LEDs and fluorescent tubes without telling your contractor.
• Leaving tubes outside where they get wet or broken.
• Having no consignment note for hazardous lamps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can businesses put light bulbs in general waste?

No. Fluorescent tubes and CFLs are hazardous waste because they contain mercury, and LEDs are WEEE. Businesses must keep lamps separate and use a licensed recycler, with the correct waste transfer note or consignment note.

Are fluorescent tubes hazardous waste?

Yes. Linear fluorescent tubes are hazardous waste, coded 16 02 13* for commercial waste and 20 01 21* under the municipal chapter. They need a hazardous waste consignment note when collected.

Are LED bulbs hazardous waste?

It depends on what they contain. GOV.UK guidance classes LEDs containing hazardous substances or POPs as hazardous, and LEDs without POPs as non-hazardous. All LED lamps are WEEE and should be recycled.

How do I clean up a broken fluorescent tube?

Ventilate the area, wear disposable gloves, pick up the glass and mercury droplets with sticky tape or damp paper and double bag everything. Do not use a vacuum cleaner, as it increases exposure to mercury vapour.

How do I recycle light bulbs from a business?

Store lamps intact in purpose-made containers, separated by type, and book a collection with a licensed lamp recycler or use an approved drop-off point. Keep the paperwork for every collection.

How Waste Experts handles lamp recycling

Waste Experts collects and processes fluorescent tubes, CFLs, high-intensity discharge lamps such as sodium and metal halide, LEDs and mixed lamp waste. We supply specialised containers, including 8ft tube containers and collapsible pallet containers for mixed lamps, and mercury recovery and crushing are handled at our permitted facility. You receive the required Duty of Care documentation for every collection, including hazardous waste paperwork where it applies.

For smaller quantities, business customers can use over 390 CEF branches as drop-off points. Branch drop-off is for business waste only, so call your local branch first to check it can take your lamps. Find out more about our lamp recycling service.

Business customers only. Waste Experts collects from businesses and organisations, not households, and CEF branch drop-off is for business waste only. If you are getting rid of waste from your home, use your council's household waste recycling centre or a retailer take-back scheme instead.