Territory and Municipal Services Minister John Hargreaves said yesterday residents would be able to drop off light bulbs at resource management centres at Mugga Lane and Mitchell.

Energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs and tubes are increasingly popular because they last longer than normal bulbs.

But the light bulbs contain small amounts of mercury which can be released if the bulbs break.

Mr Hargreaves said fluorescent lights collected in the ACT would be sent to a specialist recycling service in Victoria where the mercury would be extracted and the light bulb parts would be used to produce fertiliser, insulation and dental materials.

There was no limit on the number of light bulbs that residents could bring in for recycling but staff at the resource centres would have leeway to reject customers with large hauls of light bulbs.

Mr Hargreaves warned the service was only for residents and commercial operators would still have to dispose of fluorescent bulbs themselves.

Natash Rudra