To recover mercury without inviting public contamination by a method wherein after crushing fluorescent tubes, the crushed fluorescent tubes are heated and roasted under an inert gas atmosphere, and the waste gas is cooled, and after mercury is adsorbed by activated carbon, the waste gas is discharged, and the solid residue is screened, and thus, mercury is recovered.

While feeding fluorescent tubes into a crusher 21, a blower 23 is operated, and air from the feeding port and generated mercury steam are drawn. After the completion of the feeding of a specified amount, the receiving port is closed, and the operation is continued. The gas form mercury 3 which is drawn by the blower 23 is fed to an activated charcoal adsorption tank 24. After the completion of the crushing, crushed waste 2 is heated and roasted by a rotary kiln 22 under an inert gas atmosphere. At this time, liquid-form mercury becomes a waste gas 5 together with the inert gas, and drawn by a blower 31 through primary and secondary cooling devices 27, 28. The waste gas 5 is fed to the activated carbon adsorption tank 24 in the same manner as the gas-form mercury, and is emitted in the atmospheric air after the mercury content is adsorbed. The heated and roasted solid content, i.e., solid residue 6 is sent to a screening device 32, and is sorted into glass and mouthpiece waste 7, 8.