The Home Depot has launched a compact fluorescent lightbulb recycling program at all of its stores across the country, including Hawai'i.

Home Depot said consumers may bring in any expired, unbroken compact fluorescent bulbs to the returns desk. The bulbs will be handled by an environmental management company that will coordinate the transport and recycling of the bulbs, Home Depot said.

Compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs, have been touted as an effective way to reduce energy use. They use about about one-quarter of the energy of traditional incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

But some consumers have been wary of CFLs because of the small amount of mercury in the glass tubing. The amount of mercury in CFLs — on average, 5 milligrams, compared with 500 milligrams in older thermometers — is roughly the amount that would cover the tip of a ballpoint pen, according to state and federal government officials.

No mercury is released when bulbs are intact or in use, officials said.

Environmentalists have said they favor energy-efficient bulbs like low-mercury CFLs over incandescents — most incandescents also contain lead — but have also advocated the proper disposal of CFLs.

Federal regulations require businesses and industries to properly dispose of light bulbs that contain mercury. Households are generally exempt, although many states and local agencies have established fluorescent bulb recycling programs.

Lawmakers this year considered legislation that would have phased out incandescent bulbs and established a statewide compact fluorescent bulb recycling program, but the measure failed in the final days of the session.

City Mill vice president Carol Ai May said the company is looking at establishing a CFL recycling program and is advising customers to follow city environmental services recommendations to wrap bulbs in newspaper before placing them in household trash containers. City officials point out that CFL recycling kits are available at www.prepaidrecycling.com.