How do I dispose of my energy efficient lightbulbs?

Energy efficient light bulbs (otherwise known as compact fluorescent light bulbs or CFL's ) contain a small amount of mercury which is a toxic metal and every product containing mercury should be handled with care.

Recycling is the best way to dispose of used CFLs.

In Victoria you should take them to your nearest Council Civic Centre for recycling. Or you can take fluorescent tubes to a Detox Your Home permanent drop-off facility,such as the Darebin Resource Recovery Centre, it is free.

You can also take your fluorescent tubes to a Detox Your Home mobile collection.

NSW households should utilise the free household chemical "Cleanout" program managed by the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change. These are held regularly, and details are available on the www.cleanout.com.au website.

As a last resort, burnt-out or broken CFLs should be wrapped in newspaper and placed inside a plastic bag, firmly sealed, and then placed into your household rubbish.

You should NOT place CFLs in your kerbside recycling collection because they can break during transport and contaminate recyclable items.