"The Atlanta-based home improvement retailer's Canada division began a similar program in November 2007. The new program in the United States is the first one made widely available by a retailer, Home Depot said. ..."

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2008/06/23/daily23.html

See also NY Times Article at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/business/24recycling.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1214583574-1jIuTbMlPVyLWBThtOOBvw

And they are going to put CFL's in the lighting fixture displays  too.   Save themselves 16 million dollars.   Our Home depot did this some time ago.  Is it green or Greenwash?

I wonder what happens if you bring them a broken one in a plastic bag.  It's about time, and it's a start.  Why does Canada get to go first?  Some Home Depots in Colorado have been recycling compacts and even small quantities of Linear fluorescents regardless of what the press release says.   I suspect that they were in the minority.   They offer it as a service especially if you buy new lamps at their store.    Ace Hardware and WalMart also have recycling programs.  IKEA started one a couple years ago. 

I took back an expired CFL to the Longmont Wal Mart the other day.  I ordinarily don't shop at Wal Mart as I am particularly suspicious of GreenWash but I wanted to give them back their trash.  They were already taking them back for recycling.  I tried to take back one to our local Home Depot and they said Huh? We don't do that.   It remains to see how many actually end up in the dumpster around back.    It remains to be seen who will be first to devoting more shelf space to Incandescents lamps (often 2 or 3 times the CFL space) and when they quit selling the Generic 60CRI 4100K "sick building syndrome' T12 lamps.  They would never use these lamps in one of their stores, but they are still just fine with selling this cheap energy inefficient crap to their unsuspecting customers...   

I say if you can buy a CFL at the store, you can take them back for recycling.  Just leave the bag on the customer service counter.   While you are at it, leave the excessive packaging with them too.   If they don't have a recycling program and are not willing to take back the trash they sold you,  shop some where else.   If everybody did this we would see things change sooner rather than later.