I have been using them almost exclusively for so long that I now have to replace some of them. Disposal is an issue. Practically speaking no one is going to take them to a dump for safe disposal. Is anyone aware of a store or place in Petaluma that will take them---AND properly dispose of them?

You can take them to the Central Disposal Site at 500 Meachum Road on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday between the hours of 7:30am and 3:30pm. You must bring your ID to prove residency. This and other recycling information is available at www.recyclenow.org.
I also understand that Orchard Supply Hardware will take the fluorescents for recycling, but I would call first to see what their requirements are.

CFL's are a potentially hazardous material and may only be disposed of in an approved manner. This will be, I think, the unintended consequence of the state mandating them beginning in a few years. Someone will "discover" that CFL's are a "problem" and the state will have to step in with a new bureaucracy.

But then, I am an optimist.

Good call by EP on locations for turning them over. I have a bag of them I was saving up for the next household hazardous waste day because I rarely have the time available to drive out to the (soon to be defunt) Central Disposal Site.

I'm going to check a couple more potential resources and will post results.

You guys must have been using those bulbs a long time. None of the ones I've put in have "burned out" or needed replacing. Thought they were supposed to last for years.

Perhaps having a talk to the stores selling the bulbs will have a positive influence if they will advertise accepting burnt out ones for the purchase of new ones. It would be in their best interest to support this situation ot they will find that their sales will not be as large as tey could be without the support of recieving the bad ones. It never hurts to try to find a local solution, especially if the stores are wanting to sell a product...

CFL's last longer yes. Bear in mind that they will last longest if left on. They are not designed on intended for on / off / on / off service like an incandescent bulb is. In regular service around the house we usually get a year or so out of them.

And yes, we've been using CFL's at our house for at least five years.

I began my gradual shift over to CFLs about a year ago, and not one of them has burned out yet. Whereas before, it seemed like I was replacing an incandescent bulb every few weeks or so.

This is a bummer! CFLs do use less energy in operation but the embedded energy from it's manufacture and the mercury within it's components make all of the gains environmentally zero sum, though it does save money for those who use them.