Mercury Disposal

The Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District provides a free mercury disposal program for household mercury items. These items include mercury fever thermometers, thermostats, switches found in appliances, and liquid mercury.

While mercury is a useful element with many applications, it can pose a threat to human health and the environment if thrown in the trash or flushed down a sink. While the amount of mercury in common household items is small, the cumulative effect is significant when thousands of these items end up in landfills or wastewater treatment facilities.

All county residents are encouraged to turn in any household items that contain mercury to the following drop-off locations. Mercury should be triple-bagged in a sealed zip-lock bag, or sealed tightly in a plastic container prior to delivery. Drive carefully during transport.

Fluorescent bulbs are not accepted at the Cuyahoga County Mercury Collection locations. Lowe's Home Improvement, The Home Depot, Ace Hardware, and True-Value Hardware have free national compact fluorescent lightbulb (CFL) recycling programs. At each retail location listed above, customers can simply bring in any expired, unbroken CFL bulbs, and give them to the store associate behind the returns desk.

For a list of fluorescent tube bulb recyclers, visit our Recycling Directory for Business and Industry. Use the drop-down box to highlight “Fluorescent Bulbs.” Prices for disposal range from $0.65-$1.00 per bulb.

The Cuyahoga County Mercury Collection program is for residents only. Businesses with mercury to dispose must do so through a licensed hazardous waste disposal company.

Guidelines for cleaning up a mercury spill

Cuyahoga County Mercury Collection Locations
Beachwood Fire Station 2700 Richmond Road Beachwood 44122 (216) 292-1965 Info: Drop-off Monday-Saturday, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
North Royalton Fire Station 7000 Royalton Road North Royalton, 44133 (440) 237-4315 Info: Drop-off Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District 4747 East 49 Street Cuyahoga Heights 44125 (216) 641-6000 Info: Drop-off Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Program City Service Departments Info: Drop-off dates and times established by your city of residence