New restrictions in Maine on fluorescent light bulbs with mercury

AUGUSTA – Consumers and retailers in Maine are no longer allowed to sell or distribute mercury-containing fluorescent light bulbs.

Consumers and retailers in Maine
cannot sell or distribute mercury-
containing fluorescent light bulbs
to reduce mercury pollution and
safeguard public health in the state.
COURTESY PHOTO  

This decision follows the enactment of a ban on mercury-containing fluorescent light bulbs enacted by the Maine Legislature in 2023, aimed at reducing mercury pollution and protecting public health and the environment.

The legislation prohibits offering for sale, selling, or distributing as a new manufactured product any compact fluorescent mercury-containing light bulb or linear fluorescent mercury-containing light bulb and the ban took effect in Maine as of Jan. 1, 2026.

The ban affects a variety of lighting products, including but not limited to linear fluorescent mercury-containing light bulbs, compact fluorescent mercury-containing light bulbs, as well as black light, high-intensity discharge, ultraviolet, and neon mercury-containing light bulbs.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) urges consumers and retailers to review the details of this new ban.

Common mercury-added light bulbs include, but are not limited to, compact fluorescent (CFL), linear fluorescent (straight, circline and u-tubes), neon lights, black lights, UV lights, and high intensity discharge (HID) bulbs. High intensity discharge bulbs (HID) are commonly used in security, outdoor and warehouse lighting. HID bulbs are sometimes used indoors in commercial settings. Mercury vapor, metal halide, high pressure sodium are all types of HID bulbs.

These HID bulbs are also used in vehicle headlamps and can be identified by their characteristic bluish-white tint when lit. If you are unsure whether a light bulb contains mercury, look for the letters "Hg" (the elemental symbol for mercury) on the bulb. Some light bulbs may also be labeled with the words "contain mercury."

Mercury is used in a variety of light bulbs. It is useful in lighting because it contributes to the bulbs’ efficient operation and life expectancy. Fluorescent and other mercury-added bulbs are generally more energy efficient and last longer than incandescent and other equivalent forms of lighting, except for light-emitting diode (LED) lamps.

For further information, including answers to frequently asked questions about the effected products, please visit the DEP’s website: Recycling Mercury-added Fluorescent and other Lamps, Waste Management, Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

To report concerns or complaints about noncompliance, individuals can contact Courtney Hafner, Environmental Specialist at the Maine DEP, by phone at 207-314-3354 or via email at [email protected]. <