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 All compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), including ENERGY STAR® qualified bulbs, currently contain a small amount of mercury—about 5 milligrams (mg) per bulb. That’s less than the mercury in your average watch battery, and just enough to cover the tip of a ballpoint pen. Though it’s an extremely small amount of mercury, these bulbs still need to be recycled properly. You can drop them off at your local participating Change a Light retailer.
Find retailers that recycle ENERGY STAR qualified light bulbs.
Though these bulbs need to be recycled properly, using them poses no harm to consumers. The bulbs don’t emit mercury when they’re intact, in use and properly stored or handled. In fact, they actually contribute to a reduction in total mercury in our atmosphere. That’s because power plants emit mercury when they burn coal to produce electricity. The more energy a light bulb uses, the more mercury a power plant emits to produce that electricity. Because ENERGY STAR qualified light bulbs use 75 percent less energy than standard bulbs, they lead to significantly reduced power plant mercury emissions. The U.S. Department of Energy is helping reduce that amount even more. As of December 2008, all ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs will be required to contain even less mercury. Click below to learn more about mercury.
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