Recycle Compact Fluorescents (CFLs)

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Bring in your old compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs for recycling* at the retailers listed below.

NOTE: Home Depot locations in B.C. now accept CFL bulbs for recycling. Check the Home Depot store finder for a store near you.

Recycling Locations

Lower Mainland

Interior Region

Vancouver Island

*Only CFL bulbs can be submitted for recycling at participating retailers. CFL tubes are not accepted.

Metro Vancouver recycling database

Metro Vancouver Recycles is a searchable directory of reuse and recycling services that accesses a database of more than 1,300 locations within the Metro Vancouver region. The search allows users to locate the best recycling option near them, and also searches by category and material.

Outside Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island or Interior

If you are located outside the areas listed above, please contact the Recycling Council of BC at 1 800 667 4321 and they can provide answers to your recycling questions.

Common Questions

How are compact fluorescent bulbs recycled?

The manual method of  recycling CFLs requires a person, working under a fume hood, to break the glass with a hammer and separate components. But new technologies use various methods to separate plastic and glass components and extract the mercury, including one process that crushes components then uses heat to release the mercury vapours for subsequent condensation and separation.

For a comprehensive list of recycling and disposal companies, see Project Porchlight's lamp recycling page. For more information on how CFLs are recycled, see the websites of three companies who have produced recycling technology, Balcan, MRT System International and BMT Services. 

How much mercury is in a compact fluorescent bulb?
Both linear fluorescent and CFL lamps (light bulbs) contain a small amount of mercury, necessary for normal operation. CFLs contain four milligrams, approximately half the mercury found in a linear fluorescent lamp. Mercury is only released when the bulb is broken. Most lamp manufacturers offer a "low mercury" or environmentally friendly lamp. The green socket or end cap identifies these lamps.

Because compact fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, is it better for the environment to use incandescent bulbs?
No. Although fluorescent lights contain small amounts of mercury, they are far more energy-efficient than incandescent lights. Using energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs is better for the environment because they reduce greenhouse gas emissions from gas-fired generating stations and reduce the need to build new generation facilities. Because they last about eight times longer, fewer bulbs go into landfills and less packaging is required.