How to recycle/dispose of light bulbs and tubes, fluorescent (CFL)

Curbside collection: No
County facilities accepting light bulbs and tubes, fluorescent (CFL):
Household Hazardous Waste drop-off events
Shady Grove Processing Facility & Transfer Station

How to dispose of incandescent and non-mercury-containing light bulbs
How to dispose of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and tubes from your home
How to dispose of CFLs and tubes from your business
What to do if a fluorescent light bulb breaks

Learn more about buying and using compact fluorescent light bulbs

How to dispose of incandescent and non-mercury-containing light bulbs

Dispose of incandescent and non-mercury-containing light bulbs, including halogen bulbs, in your regular trash collection.

How to dispose of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and tubes from your home

If you have CFLs or tubes from your home, take them to one of our Household Hazardous Waste collection sites or community drop-off locations.

Live in a municipality? Contact your local municipal office for additional information regarding CFL recycling opportunities in your community.

Montgomery County has compiled this listing through various sources and does not present it as a complete directory of all organizations or companies, nor offer it as an endorsement of any of the organizations.

Hours of acceptance: vary by location
Cost: no charge
Quantity limits
- Household Hazardous Waste Collection sites: no quantity limit
- Community drop-off locations at retail stores: small quantities only

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Location (alphabetical by city/town)	Accepts bulb-style lights	Accepts tube-style lights
Home Depot #2558 14000 Georgia Avenue Aspen Hill, MD 20906 301-871-0603	Yes	No
Christophers Glen Echo Hardware 7301 MacArthur Blvd Bethesda, MD 20816 301-229-3700	Yes	No
Home Depot #2509 7111 Westlake Terrace Bethesda, MD 20817 301-634-3726	Yes	No
Strosniders Bethesda 6930 Arlington Rd Bethesda, MD 20814 301-654-5688	Yes	No
IKEA 10100 Baltimore Avenue College Park, MD 20740 301-345-6552	Yes	No
Montgomery County Solid Waste Processing Facility and Transfer Station - Hazardous Waste drop-off 16101 Frederick Rd Derwood, MD 20855 240-777-6587	Yes	Yes
Home Depot #2550 15740 Shady Grove Rd Gaithersburg, MD 20877 301-330-4900	Yes	No
Lowe's of Gaithersburg, MD (Store #0223) 40 Market St Gaithersburg, MD 20878 301-208-0400	Yes	No
Home Depot #2560 21010 Frederick Rd Germantown, MD 20876 301-515-7944	Yes	No
Amicus Green Building Center 4080-A Howard Ave Kensington, MD 20895 301-571-8590	Yes	No
Hardware City Home Center 10504 Connecticut Ave Kensington, MD 20895 301-933-2207 Residential customers only	Yes	Yes accepts tubes up to 4 feet long
Strosniders Potomac 10110 River Rd Potomac, MD 20854 301-299-6333	Yes	No
MOM's Organic Market 5566 Randolph Road Rockville, MD 20852 301-816-4944	Yes	Yes
Home Depot #2551 2300 Broadbirch Dr Silver Spring, MD 20904 301-680-3500	Yes	No
Old Takoma Ace Hardware 7001 Carroll Ave Takoma Park, MD 20912 240-839-5170	Yes	No

How to dispose of CFLs and tubes from your business

If you have CFLs or tubes from your business, take them to the Hazardous Waste drop-off area at our Solid Waste Processing Facility and Transfer Station.

Hours of acceptance: Monday - Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Cost: $0.60 per bulb or 4-foot tube; $1.20 per 8-foot tube
No quantity limit

What to do if a fluorescent light bulb breaks

CFLs and tubes contain a small amount of mercury. These instructions from the US EPA describe clean-up and disposal guidelines for broken fluorescent light bulbs.

Double-bag the broken CFL or tube in a re-sealable plastic bag and place in your household trash. Do not put CFLs or tubes into your recycling bin.

"How to recycle/dispose of..." Index

This information last updated 7/5/2012.

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Last edited: 11/8/2010