Kit Instructions: How to Fill, Ship & Reorder | BulbCycle
Pack it. Ship it. Done.
Thanks for recycling with BulbCycle. Your kit already includes the container, prepaid FedEx return shipping, recycling and a certificate of recycling. Here's how to fill it, send it back and order your next one.
- 𧀠Wear gloves and safety glasses
- π Don't go over the count or weight limit for your kit
- π Ship within one year of adding the first item
- π Your container also has printed instructions (English & Spanish)
How to fill your kit
These six steps work for every BulbCycle box and pail. Check the tips for your kit type below for anything extra.
Fill out the shipping label booklet
- Pull the "remove to open" tab on the FedEx label booklet on the front of your container. Keep the proof-of-purchase card.
- Write your company name and full mailing address in the "From" section. If it's incomplete, a certificate can't be issued.
- Check the material type and write the accumulation start date (the day the first item goes in). Write the same date under "Generator's Responsibilities" on the container.
- Apply the color-coded sticker as the booklet directs.
Set up the container
- Boxes: fold the bottom flaps in the order marked and seal with 3-inch clear packing tape (tape every seam). Slide the inner cardboard tube into the plastic liner, then put both into the box.
- Pails: remove the lid and place the plastic liner inside.
- Small battery pails (Β½ and 1 gallon) ship back in their original outer box, so keep it.
Fill it up
- Add only the items your kit is made for, up to the count or weight listed on the container.
- Pack lamps whole and intact. Don't break or crush them.
- Keep the liner and lid closed between uses.
Seal it
- Twist the liner closed and secure it with the included tie (or 3 inches of clear tape). Tuck it fully inside.
- Boxes: close the flaps in order and tape all seams. Pails: screw the lid on tight.
- The container must be sealed, sturdy and leak-free. FedEx can refuse damaged packages.
List what's inside
In the "Generator's Responsibilities" section on the container, write the types and number (or weight) of items you packed, and make sure the accumulation start date is filled in.
Schedule your free FedEx pickup
Your return shipping is already paid. See Ship it back below for how to book a pickup.
Tips for your kit
Tap your kit type for what can go in and anything special to do.
π‘ Fluorescent, LED & UV tube boxes (4ft & 8ft)
- 4ft boxes take straight tubes 4 feet or shorter; 8ft boxes take straight tubes 8 feet or shorter. You can mix T8 and T12 in the same box.
- Stand tubes inside the cardboard tube and liner, and pack them snugly so they don't shift.
- Don't add non-fluorescent bulbs to a fluorescent kit. We have separate LED, CFL and mixed-lamp kits.
π CFL, U-bend, HID & mixed lamp boxes
- Wrap HID, metal halide and high-pressure sodium lamps in newspaper, or put them back in their original boxes, before packing.
- Pack bulbs whole. Don't break them to make more room.
- Projector lamps go in their original plastic housing.
π Battery pails & drop boxes
- Accepted: AAA, AA, C, D and 9-volt batteries, including alkaline, carbon-zinc, NiCad, NiMH, silver oxide, mercury, lithium metal and lithium-ion.
- Protect the terminals: cover them with clear tape, or put each battery in its own plastic bag.
- Do not add lead acid, wet cell or large lithium batteries (lithium-ion over 300 Wh, or lithium metal over 25 g of lithium).
- If you packed lithium batteries, put the matching warning label on the outside (UN3480 for lithium-ion, UN3090 for lithium metal, or both).
- Small pails (Β½ and 1 gallon) go back in their outer box, sealed with clear tape.
π Sealed lead acid battery pail
This pail is for sealed, non-spillable lead acid batteries only. Keep dry cell batteries in a separate dry cell kit, and follow the instructions printed on your pail.
βοΈ Ballast pails
- Intact, non-leaking ballasts only. Never pack a leaking ballast.
- Stay under the weight limit on your pail (55 lbs for the 5-gallon, 66 lbs for the 6.5-gallon).
- Write the types and weight of ballasts in "Generator's Responsibilities."
π» Electronics & e-waste boxes
- Pack intact electronics such as computers, peripherals, printers, toner cartridges, cell phones and other office or personal electronics.
- Stay under the weight limit printed on your box (20, 50 or 70 lbs depending on size).
π‘οΈ Mercury device pails
- For intact mercury-containing items such as thermostats, thermometers, blood pressure gauges, relays and switches.
- No more than 1 lb of elemental mercury in total inside the pail.
π¨ Smoke detector & π¦· dental waste kits
Follow the instructions printed on your container closely, and stay within the contents and limits listed on it. Questions about what can go in? Call us at 858-412-6536.
Free FedEx pickup
- Make sure the container is sealed and the label booklet is filled out.
- Book a pickup online at fedex.com/returnpickup, or call FedEx (number at right) and say "PRP" at the prompt. You can also drop it off at a FedEx location.
- Keep your proof-of-purchase card. It has your container number and FedEx tracking number.
Getting your certificate of recycling
Once your container is received and processed, request your certificate by logging in to the website printed on your kit. Please allow about three weeks. Can't find it? Email info@bulbcycle.com with your order number and the container number from your kit.
Running low? Order your next kit
Tip: keep one extra kit on hand so you have an empty one ready while the full one is on its way to recycling.
Ordering for multiple sites or paying by purchase order? Call 858-412-6536 or contact us.