Via the Department of Environment

When Energy-Efficient Bulbs Burn Out or Break: When your energy-efficient compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) burn out, please properly recycle them at any Home Depot or the City’s Household Chemicals and Computer Recycling Facility, open Tuesdays from 7:00 a.m. - noon, Thursdays from 2:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m., and the first Saturday of the month from 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. CFLs should not be put in your Blue Cart.

If a CFL breaks inside your home, please take the following steps:

1. Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
2. Scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a tightly sealed container, such as a glass jar. If available, use disposable rubber gloves. Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels and place them in a sealed container. Do not use a vacuum or broom on hard surfaces.
3. Take broken and unbroken bulbs to a local recycling center. Wash your hands after performing cleanup and disposing of the sealed container.
4. If a CFL breaks on a rug or carpet: Remove all the materials you can without using a vacuum cleaner. Sticky tape (like duct tape) can be used to pick up small pieces. If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum and remove the vacuum bag and put the bag or vacuum debris into two sealed plastic bags in the outdoor trash.

Remember: CFLs have very small amounts of mercury, but it always best to take precautions when they break.