Beginning January 1, 2026, consumers and retailers in Maine will no longer be allowed to sell or distribute mercury-containing fluorescent light bulbs, according to Maine Department of Environmental Protection, in a news release. This decision follows the enactment of a ban by the Maine Legislature in 2023, aimed at reducing mercury pollution and protecting public health and the environment.

This 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. 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," said the DEP, in the news release.

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 courtney.hafner@maine.gov.