CFL + Fluorescent Tube Recycling

Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) light bulbs and fluorescent tubes contain mercury, which can pose health hazards and environmental harm, so they should not be thrown away. Instead, drop off fluorescent lights for safe disposal at free drop-off points throughout Kirkland and the eastside. Both residents and businesses can use LightRecycle drop-off locations.

Only CFL bulbs, fluorescent tubes and HID bulbs contain mercury and need special disposal. Other bulbs are not hazardous. Throw away incandescent, LED and halogen bulbs in your home garbage. Please do NOT bring incandescent and LED bulbs to our drop-offs — we have to sort them out by hand.

CFL bulbs are usually a corkscrew shape or have loops.

CFL-bulbs.jpgRecycle CFL Bulbs

Drop up to 10 CFL bulbs daily at LightRecycle drop off locations, including City drop-offs listed below.

See what to do with broken bulbs. They must be in an air-tight container (like a sealed and taped zip-top bag) to be recycled.

Recycle CFL Bulbs at City Drop-Offs

Do NOT bring fluorescent tubes to City facilities. They are NOT accepted.

Kirkland City Hall Recycling Center | 123 Fifth Ave (lower-level lobby) | Open Mon-Fri 8-5

  • Up to 10 CFL bulbs per day (NO fluorescent tubes, NO incandescent, halogen or LED bulbs)
  • Please place bulbs in container carefully to prevent breaking.
  • If the container is full, please alert the Public Works Counter staff upstairs, or call the Recycle Hotline at 425-587-3812. Please don't shove bulbs into an overfull box.
  • Other recycle + reuse services at this location: battery recycling,  cellphone recycling, and water bottle filling station 

Other Places to Recycle CFL Bulbs

There are other CFL bulb drop-off locations in Kirkland, including Bartell Drugstores.

Find more CFL bulb recycling locations

fluorescent-tube.jpgRecycle Fluorescent Tubes

Fluorescent tube lights are accepted at fewer locations because they are more likely to break, which releases the hazardous mercury. They are not accepted at City drop-off locations.

Recycle off fluorescent tubes at the Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off in Bellevue

Factoria Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off | 13800 SE 32nd St. Bellevue, WA, 98005 | Tues-Fri 8-4, Sat-Sun 9-5

Drop off fluorescent tubes at hazardous waste events

Traveling Wastemobile | various locations, often in Redmond | Fri-Sun, 10-5

Other places to recycle fluorescent tubes and HID bulbs

Find more fluorescent tube recycling locations in Bellevue, Redmond, Bothell and Woodinville with the LightRecycle search tool.

Find more fluorescent tube recycling locations

What to Do with LED and Incandescent Light Bulbs

Incandescent lightbulbs and LED bulbs should be thrown away in the garbage. These kinds of bulbs do not pose health hazards. The LightRecycle program accepts only mercury-containing lights (CFLs, fluorescent tubes, and HID bulbs).