Whether incandescent or fluorescent, CFL or LED, lighting can be a problem: Although many bulbs can be recycled, most end up in a landfill. When broken, fluorescent bulbs can release mercury, a potent neurotoxin, into the environment; LEDs can contain toxic heavy metals like lead, copper, nickel, and arsenic – as well as valuable metals and glass that could be recycled.

How can we recycle more light bulbs and protect the environment? Extended producer responsibility. In 2007, PSI initiated a dialogue on fluorescent lighting that resulted in a national action plan on lamp recycling and contributed to the enactment of EPR laws in five states. As a result, in the first year that Vermont implemented its EPR program, it recycled more than seven times as many fluorescent light bulbs as the national average. We also partnered with rural governments in 13 other states to boost collection of lamps and other mercury-containing products. And in 2021, we worked with municipalities and environmental justice stakeholders in California to publish Advancing Safe Collection and Recycling of Lights in California: A How-To Guide.

EPR programs like these incentivize the design of more sustainable products and build supply chains for those made with recycled materials, which are the building blocks of an emerging circular economy that protects our environment and builds a better future.

What can you do? Tell your representatives that you support EPR legislation for lighting. Then, learn where to recycle or safely dispose of bulbs in your community.

If you’re a PSI Member or Partner, search our Resource Library for in-depth information on lighting stewardship in the United States and around the world and our Legislation Library for a detailed history of lighting EPR bills and laws in the U.S.