Where do CFL energy-saving bulbs go?

A compact fluorescent lamp works by striking an arc through mercury vapour, and every tube contains a few milligrams of it. Broken in a bin or a truck that mercury is released, which is why CFLs are classed as universal waste in the US and WEEE in the UK and are excluded from every kerbside scheme. Household waste centres have a lamp box, and many DIY sheds and supermarkets take them back. If one breaks indoors, ventilate the room for fifteen minutes before cleaning up, and use stiff card and sticky tape rather than a vacuum. A few councils collect lamps at the kerb and most do not, so your own local list is the one that decides.

How to prepare it

1. Carry them in the box the replacement came in.
2. After a breakage: air the room, pick fragments up with card and tape, seal in a jar.

What not to do

• Never bin a CFL; the mercury goes into the load.
• Never vacuum a broken one — the machine then blows mercury vapour around the room.

Kerbside collection rules genuinely vary by council and county, and local rules always win over general guidance. The reasoning above is what transfers — if your service differs, it will usually be for a reason described here.

Other things that go to household waste recycling centre

• Leftover wet paint Household waste centre or a community paint reuse scheme. Liquid paint is not accepted in any household bin.
• Car batteries (lead-acid) Garage, scrap yard or household waste centre. Lead-acid is the most successfully recycled consumer product there is.
• Used motor oil Household waste centre oil bank, or a garage that accepts it. One container of it contaminates an enormous volume of water.
• Small electricals (kettles, toasters, hair dryers) Electrical waste. Household waste centre, a shop take-back point, or a kerbside small-electricals sack if your council runs one.
• Pyrex and heat-resistant glassware Never the glass bin. Ovenware is formulated not to melt like bottle glass, and one fragment can ruin a whole batch.
• Televisions and monitors WEEE recycling. Old CRT sets contain several kilograms of leaded glass.
• LED bulbs Small electricals recycling. No mercury, but they are electronics, not glass.
• Drinking glasses and wine glasses Not the glass bin. Tableware glass has a different composition from bottle glass.
• Smoke alarms Household waste centre or manufacturer return. Ionisation alarms contain a tiny sealed radioactive source.
• Crockery, mugs and ceramics Not glass and not recyclable at the kerb. Donate what is whole; broken pieces go to the household waste centre or general waste.
• Fluorescent tubes Household waste centre, intact. Mercury inside, and a tube that breaks in transit is a spill.
• Camping gas canisters and butane cartridges Household waste centre, as gas cylinders — not the metal skip and never a bin, whether or not they feel empty.
• Fire extinguishers Household waste centre or a fire equipment company. It is pressurised until a professional has discharged it.
• Mirrors Household waste centre. The reflective backing means it is not recyclable glass.