As a general rule of thumb, CFLs require special handling, so don't throw them away with the regular household trash. While CFLs can be recycled, they should not be thrown into your recycle bin either.

Check http://www.pinellascounty.org/utilities/getridofit/fluorescent_bulbs.pdf  for information on disposing CFLs in Pinellas County

For current information on what to do and what not to do when a CFL is broken, refer to the Web site

http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf.

By using CFLs, you can reduce power demand that will help reduce mercury emissions from power plants. Mercury emissions in the air come from both natural and manufactured sources. Coal-fired power plants are the largest contributors because the naturally occurring mercury in the coal is released into the air when coal is burned to make electricity.

In fact, coal-fired power generation is responsible for about 40% of the mercury emissions in the United States (ENERGY STAR®, April 2008). While fluorescent bulbs do contain very small amounts of mercury—about the amount that would cover the tip of a ballpoint pen—it is sealed within the glass tubing and is not released when the CFL is intact or in use.

Moreover, with proper handling, mercury in the CFLs can be recaptured through recycling.

Source: UF/IFAS Energy Efficient Homes: Fluorescent Lighting, Hyun-Jeong Lee, Kathleen C. Ruppert, and Wendell A. Porter, FCS3270, 2008

Additional Resource

UF IFAS Energy Efficient Homes: Fluorescent Lighting - http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FY1031 

U.S. Department of Energy. (2008b, March 7).  DOE sets new Energy Star criteria for washing machines and CFLs. Retrieved April 16, 2008, from http://www.eere.energy.gov/news/news_detail.cfm/news_id=11628 

U.S. Department of Energy. (n.d.). How compact fluorescents compare with incandescents.  Retrieved April 16, 2008, from http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/lighting_daylighting/index.cfm/mytopic=12060