Minority-owned · Dayton, Ohio · Since 2007(937) 603-1239
Gem City RecyclingSchedule a Pickup

Turn your city into a Gem City

We collect the lamps, ballasts, batteries, electronics and chemicals your building cannot legally throw away, haul them to a registered facility, and send back the certificate that proves it.

Schedule a PickupWhat we take

Minority-owned · Established 2007 · DOT-approved containers supplied

The cost of getting it wrong

The liability follows the generator, not the hauler.

Why we do this
We do business in the cities where our friends and families live, so we care about keeping it clean and safe for future generations.

Gem City Recycling

Gem City Recycling is a minority-owned and operated small business that specialises in the removal and transportation of all universal wastes. The goal is to protect the environment and to help the businesses that generate this material avoid fines for discarding it improperly.

The Gem City Recycling van loaded with cartons of spent lamps
On the job

Four hundred lamps out of one site, boxed and manifested.

What we take

Five streams. Five sets of rules.

Treating universal waste as one pile is the mistake that costs money. We sort it, pack it and document it separately, because the regulators do.

Spent fluorescent tubes packed upright in a shipping box
01Universal waste

Lamps and bulbs

Got old light bulbs or lamps? We help process all types, shapes, and sizes. From CFLs to HIDs.

T8 and T12 fluorescent tubesU-bend and circlineCompact fluorescent (CFL)High intensity discharge (HID)
See the detail →
Used fluorescent and HID ballasts with trailing wire leads on a steel bench
02Universal waste

Ballasts

Sometimes responsible for a flickering fluorescent or failing HID lamp. We process magnetic, digital/electronic & the ones already attached to the lamp itself.

Magnetic ballastsElectronic and digital ballastsPCB-containing ballasts (pre-1979)Ballasts still attached to the fixture
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Retired computer towers shrink wrapped on a pallet
03Universal waste

Computers and electronics

Don't be e-wasteful. If it's no longer working or too old, we're happy to help you responsibly recycle & dispose of any electronic device.

Desktops, laptops and serversMonitors and displaysPrinters, copiers and scannersPhones and tablets
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Assorted used batteries collected in a labelled bin
04Universal waste

Batteries

Do not belong in the trash. They contain hazardous materials and need a safe home after losing their charge.

Sealed lead acid (SLA)Lithium ion and lithium metalNickel cadmium and NiMHAlkaline
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Weathered drums and jerry cans on a containment pallet
05Universal waste

Chemicals

Dangerous to people and the earth. Let us help you protect both.

Cleaning and maintenance chemicalsSolventsAerosolsMercury-containing devices
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How it works

Three steps. Two of them are ours.

Step 1

Tell us what you have

Call, or send a photo of the pile. Rough counts are fine. We will tell you what we take and what we do not.

Step 2

We bring the boxes and haul it

DOT-approved containers arrive sized for your material. We pack it, load it, and transport it to a registered recycling facility.

Step 3

You get your certificate

Your Certificate of Recycling and disposal paperwork come back to you electronically, ready to file and ready to show.

On the record
In business since 2007SAM.gov vendor record
Minority-owned small disadvantaged businessSAM.gov classification
Registered federal vendorSAM.gov, NAICS 562112 / 562119 / 562211 / 562219
Transports to registered recycling facilitiestheir archived About page
Why each one is regulated

The detail is the point.

Five streams, five different reasons somebody can be fined for putting them in a dumpster. If the person collecting your material cannot tell you which reason applies to which pile, they are moving boxes, not handling waste.

  • 01Lamps. Mercury. It is the reason lamps are regulated and the reason they cannot go in the trash.
  • 02Ballasts. PCBs. Pre-1979 ballasts are handled on a different track, and mixing them is the expensive mistake.
  • 03Electronics. Data and heavy metals. Old equipment carries both off your site.
  • 04Batteries. Fire, and heavy metals. A lithium pack in a trash compactor is a real ignition source.
  • 05Chemicals. It is the category most likely to be handled wrong, because nobody is sure what it is.
Gloved hands sealing a packed recycling carton
How it is packed

DOT-approved cartons, packed and sealed before anything leaves your building.

Where we run

Dayton first.

DaytonCincinnatiColumbusClevelandDetroit

How the service area actually works →

Straight answers

Before you call.

How small a pickup will you do?
Call and ask. A single box of tubes from one office is a different job from a lighting retrofit across a campus, and both are jobs. If it is too small to be worth a truck, we will say so and tell you what to do instead.
What does it cost?
It depends on what it is, how much of it there is, and where you are. Send a pickup request and we will talk the job through with you.
Do I get proof it was handled properly?
Yes. That is the deliverable. You get a Certificate of Recycling and the disposal paperwork electronically, naming where the material went.
How do I know if my ballasts have PCBs?
If the fixture was installed before 1979 and the ballast is original, assume yes until the label says otherwise. Send a photo of the label and we will tell you.
Can you handle a whole building at once?
Yes. Lighting retrofits and office cleanouts are the normal shape of this work. Tell us the schedule and we will work to it.
What will you not take?
Ask before you assume. Some material needs a licensed hazardous-waste route rather than the universal-waste route, and we would rather point you to the right one than collect something we should not.
Ready when you are

Tell us what is in the back room.

Rough counts are fine. Send a photo of the pile if that is easier. You get a straight answer on what we take.

Schedule a Pickup(937) 603-1239