FAQs • Grinnell, IA • CivicEngage

Can my business/employer throw fluorescent tubes/CFLs in the trash?: Fluorescent lights are considered hazardous waste when generated by a business. It is illegal under federal law to place them in the trash.

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Fluorescent Bulb Disposal

1. Can I just throw my fluorescent tubes/CFLs in the trash?: You could at your house because household hazardous wastes are exempt from some regulations. However, we discourage it because each tube or CFL contains a small amount of mercury, which is hazardous to human health.

2. Can my business/employer throw fluorescent tubes/CFLs in the trash?: Fluorescent lights are considered hazardous waste when generated by a business. It is illegal under federal law to place them in the trash.

3. Why do we have to manage chemicals/fluorescents differently at home and at work?: Household hazardous wastes have been exempt from some of the federal regulations that govern hazardous wastes from businesses. The standards also vary for businesses that regularly generate only a little hazardous waste and those that regularly generate a lot. Basically the rules get more stringent as the generator gets larger, which makes sense. But there are rules at all levels.