Concerns about mercury in compact fluorescent lightbulbs being sent by Flathead Electric Cooperative to its members are misplaced, a cooperative spokesman said Tuesday.

Ross Holter, energy services supervisor at the regional utility company, noted that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ascertained the energy-saving bulbs are not a toxic or hazardous waste according to federal solid-waste rules.

The company has received some complaints since it started sending out a variety pack of free CFL bulbs late last year. Some co-op members are concerned about what to do if the bulbs break, since they contain mercury.

The bulbs do not have to be recycled, Holter said, but noted that the cooperative and the EPA encourage people to do so.

Flathead Electric has recycling bins at its Kalispell location, 2510 U.S. 2 East, and also at its Libby office, 121 W. Fourth St. Home Depot in Kalispell also has a recycling bin that accepts CFL bulbs, Holter said.

“The Sierra Club promotes the use of these bulbs,” he said.

“When I was a kid, we used to break open mercury thermometers and play with them, so I’m not as concerned as some.”

Compliments about the free bulbs are outrunning complaints by a 10-1 margin, Holter said.

“The net impact on the environment is a lot less than if you didn’t use these bulbs,” he said, noting they use only 23 percent of the energy that traditional incandescent bulbs use.

Flathead Electric Co-op’s variety pack of light bulbs includes a 14-watt globe, a 14-watt candelabra, a 16-watt reflector flood and a 23-watt spiral.

Customers with last names beginning with the letters A through L should have already received their bulbs. Those with names that begin with the letters M through Z should receive them by the end of February.

The light bulbs are intended to let people know there are a “multitude of options” with CFL bulbs, Holter said.

A federal law mandates the sale of incandescent bulbs be phased out in 2012 beginning with 100-watt bulbs. By 2014, 40-watt bulbs will no longer be for sale.