In your link to cheap lighting you mention the recycling programs and being able to purchase bulbs for a dollar. How does this work? You're saying you turn in your incandescents and they offer the CFL's for free or a discount?
In my state and many others. They're offering rebate coupons for the purchase of CFL bulbs. The ones I most commonly see are $5 off. Sometimes they're even available in the lighting section of Lowes and Home Depot. So you simply choose what works best for you. Sometimes you can get a 3 pack of bulbs for $6. You use the $5 off coupon and you pay $1 for 3 bulbs.
Home Depot/Lowes is then reimbursed by the state for the difference. This is to lower the energy consumption in states where they have to buy power normally. The theory being you would have used a different light bulb that uses more electricity. Thus the state has to buy less power, and it helps the environment as well.