Napa Offers Recycling for Consumers

The City of Napa California will begin offering free recycling for residential lamps through a creative arrangement with federal and local agencies and with the cooperation of selected retail stores and electric contractors. Napa has received a combination of federal stimulus funding, solid waste recycling fees and underwriting from PG&E, the energy utility, to manage a program for the next three years.

Retail stores and contractors in Napa that sell energy-efficient lighting are signing up with the City so they can allow their customers to bring in fluorescent lighting, both the tubes and CFLs, which will be packaged for shipment to an authorized lamp recycler. Contact your nearest store to see if they are participating.

The ALMR appreciates and endorses these programs because they make it convenient for consumers to turn in old light bulbs, which can release mercury if not properly handled. This approach also uses the existing infrastructure for end-of-life management and does not require more bureaucracy or higher costs for consumers.

The ALMR is a non-profit organization representing members of the lighting and mercury recycling industry, and serving as an educational and informational resource to government, business and the public. ALMR began in 1999 and in the U.S. its members recycle an estimated 85% of the mercury lamps that are currently being diverted from the municipal waste stream. A complete list of recyclers and additional information about lamp and mercury recycling can be found at www.almr.org.