ALMR-The Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers

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Lamp Recycling

An Educational CD released by the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers (ALMR), along with the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). This CD promotes recycling mercury-containing lamps and provides specific information about Federal and state-specific guidlines for their proper disposal.

Click on the CD below to explore.

Lamp Recycling Project CD

Moustache Man

Laws and Regulations

Information on Spent Lighting

A Summary of the Universal Waste Rule and RCRA Subtitle C Hazardaous Waste Regulations fo Businesses.

The Federal Rules

Used mercury-containing lighting products (also known as spent lamps or bulbs) are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Universal Waste Rule (UWR)[1], which is a subset of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle C hazardous waste regulations. Most states have adopted these rules, and several have adopted regulations that are more stringent than the UWR.

The federal hazardous waste rules are a complex set of regulations affecting all aspects of waste management. They are found in the Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR Parts 260-279). The Universal Waste Rule is a subset of these regulations which streamlines the management of selected common hazardous waste products. These products include batteries, certain pesticides, thermostats, and lamps. In general, this rule prohibits spent lamp disposal in municipal landfills. Anyone who chooses lamp recycling under universal waste regulations will generally have reduced regulatory burden and costs.

If this is the option that you have chosen, it is important to know that there are certain requirements that you must adhere to. Lamps that are sent for recycling under the Universal Waste Rule have less stringent requirements for storage, record keeping and transportation as compared to the requirements of the full Subtitle C hazardous waste regulations. Regardless of how you choose to manage your waste, you must be thoroughly acquainted with both state and federal regulations in order to determine how they apply to you.
Please review the State-by-State Stringency Comparison Table.