Toxics

Motor Oil

Special Wastes

Fluorescent lamps / CFLs

Voluntary take-back program for Sonoma County residents only.

For business disposal of fluorescent lamps

Some local businesses are voluntarily taking back spent fluorescent lamps from their customers. These companies are going above what the law requires, meeting the needs of their customers and doing what’s best for the environment. Support businesses that are good environmental stewards.

The Voluntary Fluorescent Lamp Take-Back Program is funded by California utility customers and administered by PG&E under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission. This program promotes the coordination & marketing collaboration between Sonoma County, Napa County, City of Napa, and other local governments and PG&E on publicity efforts.

Resources for fluorescent lamps/CFLs

Russian River Water Association

California Product Stewardship Council

Department of Toxics Substances Control Board

Energy Star

fluorescent lamps and lightbulbs Fluorescent lamps contain mercury vapor. Although the amount of mercury vapor in each lamp is small, care should still be taken in handling and disposing of fluorescent lamps.

When CFLs and fluorescent lamps have burned out, you can recycle the lamps. Recycling CFLs and fluorescent lamps captures the mercury vapor, which can be reused in new lamps. Due to advanced recycling procedures, 99% of an old fluorescent lamp can be recycled into a new fluorescent lamp.

Fluorescent lamps come in many shapes and sizes including:

4 foot, 6 foot & 8 foot linears
CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps)
Corkscrew-type bulbs & U-tubes

What to do with broken fluorescent lamps?

Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
Turn off central heat/air conditioning.
Collect the pieces using a stiff piece of paper, such as an index card.
Pat the area with the sticky side of packing tape to remove glass shards.
Put all material into a sealed container.
Broken bulbs are accepted with the Agency’s Hazardous Waste programs

About ballasts
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were discontinued for use in fluorescent ballasts manufactured after 1979. Typically, ballasts which do not contain PCBs will be labeled with a sticker. Ballasts without labels must be disposed as hazardous waste. While non-PCB ballasts can be disposed in the garbage, it is environmentally preferable to recycle them as scrap metal; see listing below. Do not put ballasts in the curbside recycling cart.

Recycling for non-PCB ballasts:

West Coast Metals
470 Caletti Rd.
Windsor (707) 838-9731

Disposal for PCB-ballasts with the Agency’s Hazardous Waste programs

1. Drop-off CFLs and other kinds of fluorescent lamps at participating retailers: for residents

Agua Caliente

Nuestra Voz of Sonoma/Our Voice of Sonoma
200 Fuente Ln. (707) 939-9369
Drop-off: CFLs and 4-foot lamps only. Residents only, no businesses.

Boyes Hot Springs

Parsons Lumber & Hardware
17800 Sonoma Hwy. (707) 996-1008
Drop-off: CFLs and 4-foot lamps. Residents only, no businesses.

Cloverdale

Cloverdale Ace Hardware
750 S. Cloverdale Blvd. (707) 894-2165
Drop-off: CFLs and 4-foot lamps. Residents only, no businesses.

Cotati

Lowe's Home Improvement
7821 Redwood Dr. (707) 242-5000
Drop-off: CFLs only. Residents only, no businesses.

True Value Hardware Cotati
7520 Commerce Blvd. (707) 795-5456
Drop-off & fee: all kinds. Residents only, no businesses.

Geyserville

Bosworth and Son General Merchandise
21060 Geyserville Ave. (707) 857-3463
Drop-off: CFLs & 4-foot lamps only. Residents only, no businesses.

Graton

Graton Day Labor Center/Centro Laboral De Graton
2981 Bowen St. (707) 829-1864
Drop-off: CFLs and 4-foot lamps only. Residents only, no businesses.

Guerneville

True Value Hardware Guerneville
15600 River Rd. (707) 869-2832
Drop-off & fee: all kinds. Residents only, no businesses.

Healdsburg

Garrett Hardware Healdsburg
1340 Healdsburg Ave. (707) 433-5593
Drop-off: CFLs and 4-foot lamps only. Residents only, no businesses.

Healdsburg Day Labor Center
405 Grove St. (707) 433-6652
M-F 9-5. Drop-off: CFLs and 4-foot lamps only. Residents only, no businesses.

Healdsburg Lumber Company
359 Hudson St. (707) 431-9663
Drop-off: CFLs & 4-foot lamps only. Residents only, no businesses.

Occidental

Occidental Hardware
3799 Bohemian Hwy. (707) 874-3441
Drop-off: CFLs only. Residents only, no businesses.

Petaluma

OSH Petaluma
1390 N McDowell Blvd. (707) 664-1114
Drop-off: CFLs and 4-foot lamps only. Limit six lamps per customer. Residents only, no businesses.

Rohnert Park

Home Depot
4825 Redwood Dr. (707) 585-9200
Drop-off: CFLs only. Residents only, no businesses.

Santa Rosa

Bennett Valley Ace Hardware
2739 Yulupa Ave. (707) 524-2515
Drop-off: CFLs & 4-foot lamps only. Limit six lamps per customer. Residents only, no businesses.

Friedman's Home Improvement
4055 Santa Rosa Ave. (707) 584-7811
Drop-off: CFLs only. Residents only, no businesses.

Home Depot
100 Bicentennial Way (707) 544-2130
Drop-off: CFLs only. Residents only, no businesses.

Montecito True Value Hardware
763 Montecito Ctr. (707) 539-4071
Drop-off: CFLs and 4-foot lamps only. Residents only, no businesses. Store purchase required.

OSH Santa Rosa
2230 Cleveland Ave. (707) 566-7514
Drop-off: CFLs and 4-foot lamps only. Residents only, no businesses.

The Lamp and Shade Shop
1200 4th St. (707) 528-6328
Drop-off: CFLs only. Residents only, no businesses.

True Value Hardware Larkfield
115 Lystra Ct. (707) 545-8380
Drop-off: CFLs & 4-foot lamps only. Residents only, no businesses.

Sebastopol

Sebastopol Hardware Center
660 Gravenstein Hwy., N. (707) 823-7688
Drop-off: CFLs and 4-foot lamps only. Residents only, no businesses.

Sonoma

Friedman's Home Improvement
1360 Broadway Ave. (707) 939-8811
Drop-off: CFLs only. Residents only, no businesses.

The Sea Ranch

Sea Ranch Supply
35550 Verdant View (707) 785-2366
Drop-off: CFLs and 4-foot lamps only. Residents only, no businesses.

Windsor

Garrett Hardware Windsor
10540 Old Redwood Hwy. (707) 433-6590
Drop-off: CFLs & 4-foot lamps only. Residents only, no businesses.

Home Depot
6280 Hembree Ln. (707) 836-0377
Drop-off: CFLs only. Residents only, no businesses.

2. Dispose of spent fluorescent bulbs through the Agency's Hazardous Waste programs: for residents & businesses

For residents
Household Toxics Facility
Community Toxics Collections
Toxic Rover Pickup Service

For businesses
Household Toxics Facility
Community Toxics Collections

3. Mail-back & pick up recycling options: for businesses

Use the “What would you like to recycle?” search function at the top of this web page. Choose the topic “Fluorescent lamps and ballasts (business only)”

^ Top of page

Sonoma County Waste Management Agency ● 2300 County Center Drive, Suite B-100 ● Santa Rosa, CA 95403

What Would You Like to Recycle?