Recycling and recovery
Mercury recovery and retorting
Thermal recovery for mercury bearing waste, and the threshold that makes it mandatory.
Mercury bearing waste above 260 mg/kg must be treated by retorting or roasting rather than stabilization, under the land disposal restriction treatment standards. Retorting vaporizes mercury and condenses it for reuse.
Source: 40 CFR 268.40 and 268.42Mercury bearing streams
- Fluorescent lamps and high intensity discharge bulbs
- Thermometers, manometers, switches and relays
- Dental amalgam and separator waste
- Natural gas metering and processing equipment
- Chlor alkali cell room waste
- Contaminated soil and debris from mercury spills
Many mercury items qualify as universal waste under 40 CFR Part 273, which is a substantially lighter regulatory path than full hazardous waste management.
The 260 mg/kg line
Below 260 mg/kg total mercury, stabilization is an acceptable treatment route. At or above it, the land disposal restriction standard requires thermal recovery. That threshold decides the cost and it is worth knowing before a stream is profiled.
Retorting recovers mercury as a product rather than destroying it, which is the only sensible outcome for an element. Recovered mercury goes into permitted industrial uses or into long term storage depending on market conditions and the applicable restrictions.
Common questions
Are fluorescent lamps hazardous waste?
They usually fail the toxicity characteristic for mercury and would be D009. Most generators manage them as universal waste under 40 CFR Part 273 instead, which is lighter and is the intended path.
What about dental amalgam?
Amalgam separator waste is mercury bearing and goes for retorting. Dental practices also fall under EPA's dental effluent guidelines, which require separators and best management practices.
Can mercury contaminated soil be stabilized?
Only below 260 mg/kg. Above that the treatment standard requires thermal recovery, which changes the cost of a remediation project significantly and is worth establishing early.
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This page summarizes federal requirements and is not legal advice. State programs can be more stringent than the federal baseline. Verify against current federal and state regulations before acting. Last reviewed September 2026.