Fluorescent Light Bulb Information

Maine Compact Fluorescent Lamp Breakage Study Report

I've broken a fluorescent bulb in my home. What do I do?

Report Regarding the Recycling of Fluorescent Lamps and Consumer Education Efforts - (209KB - pdf format) - Maine DEP and Maine Public Utilities Commission

Proper Recycling of Fluorescent Bulbs
Maine law does not allow fluorescent bulbs, including compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), to be disposed of in the trash because they contain a small amount of mercury. Used fluorescent bulbs need to be recycled. There are three main ways to recycle spent bulbs:

1. You can recycle intact CFLs at any of more than 200 participating retail stores (MS Excel) (pdf format) for free. Efficiency Maine has launched this CFL Recycling Program. The yellow decal below will be in the windows of the participating stores across the State of Maine. These stores are trained in accordance with Maine DEP requirements. The used, unbroken CFLs will be collected and recycled, with as many of the CFL components as possible recovered for reuse. If anyone finds any errors or changes, please contact the Hazardous Waste Program staff at 207-287-2651.

2. You can also recycle CFLs (and other fluorescent bulbs) where your municipality has made lamp recycling arrangements (MS Excel) (pdf format) . There may be a small charge for recycling the bulb at a municipal recycling facility. The green blocks signify that we have gathered the information from those towns. White means we were not able to reach anyone in that municipal office. Blue means the facility will take from anyone in the state not just the residents in their town.

3. Businesses may find the following link for recycling companies helpful:

UW Management and Recycling Companies (pdf format)

We Recycle CFLs Here decal

Energy Savings

According to the US Department of Energy, if we all switched our five most-highly used light bulbs to compact fluorescents, we would save enough electricity to shut down 21 power plants—about 800 billion kilowatt-hours. That means a lot less carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides going into the air and causing problems like climate change, acid rain, ozone and contaminated fish. Not to mention the money we’d save on our monthly electric bills. Try Efficiency Maine's savings calculator to see how much you might save. And find more information about the ENERGY STAR® Residential Lighting Program.

More information

History and facts on CFL breakage in Prospect, Maine (MS Word format) (pdf format)

Contact information

For more information contact Stacy Ladner, Heather Jackson or Deborah Stahler at (207) 287-2651.