Light Bulbs and Ballasts

Light bulbs and ballasts in good usable condition may be able to be donated.  An internet search such as “donate light bulbs York PA” will show organizations that accept these items for donation.

Fluorescent bulbs/tubes including compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) contain the toxic metal mercury.  In addition, fluorescent light ballasts manufactured before 1980 may contain the toxic materials polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).  Click here to view options to manage Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) in York County.  There are several businesses in York County that accept fluorescent light bulbs/tubes, other types of gas light bulbs and PCB ballasts for recycling.  Below is a list of these facilities.  Before delivering any materials to the listed businesses, always call ahead to make sure they are still accepting the material you wish to dispose of and find out if there are any associated fees.

Broken fluorescent bulbs including CFLs are a health hazard and should be cleaned up in a specific manner.  For instructions on how to clean up fluorescent bulbs, follow this link to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s website:  https://www.epa.gov/cfl/cleaning-broken-cfl.  After a broken fluorescent bulb is cleaned up, the remaining materials should be placed in a garbage bag, sealed tightly and disposed in the regular trash.

Incandescent (filament type) and light emitting diode (LED) light bulbs contain no hazardous materials and should be disposed in the regular trash.