Fluorescent and compact fluorescent lamps are categorized by the US EPA as “universal waste.” The category was created specifically for batteries, pesticides, and mercury-containing equipment and lamps. It allows these items to be excluded from the more stringent hazardous waste handling laws.
Federal law requires pretty much all commercial and institutional users to handle fluorescent lamps as universal waste. Some states, such as Massachusetts and California, have outlawed throwing fluorescent lamps in the trash. Some states leave it up to individual counties. However, I think everyone is best served if we don’t throw any fluorescent lamps in the trash.
Instead of trashing lamps, a much better alternative is lamp recycling. Nearly every part of a fluorescent lamp can be recycled, from the glass down to the phosphors. You can find a recycler near to where you live or work from a variety of websites. The EPA’s site is at http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/wastetypes/universal/lamps/live.htm and there is an independent site that is very user-friendly at http://earth911.com/.
There are lamps in which the mercury content is low enough to be exempt from universal waste classification. These are lamps that have passed the TCLP test (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure). This basically says that if the lamp is thrown in a landfill less than 0.2mg of mercury will leach out per liter of the testing solution. However, it doesn’t apply to incinerated trash, and I emphasize that it is still best to recycle TCLP-compliant lamps.
