Do the swirly light bulbs need to be disposed of differently than normal ones?

Yes. They are fluorescent bulbs and thus contain Mercury.

Compact Fluorescent = swirly ones.

Also known as CFL

or ice cream bulbs.

Um.. So what do I do?

Take the compact fluorescent bulbs and the broken shards to a city recycling center. They should be able to dispose of them properly. Take your used batteries there while you’re at it. :-)

there’s also a number or website on the bulb or packaging which should have instructions on how to properly dispose of them n:vision used to take their bulbs (dead, idk about broken) back with free shipping but that was a couple years ago. As was said above CFL’s have Hg (very poisonous) so please don’t just toss them in the trash. Also don’t clean it up without gloves and make sure to wipe down the area with a sponge to get up any dust. Hg can be inhaled and absorbed through the skin so make sure to seal the mess in something tight. this might help with more advice/instruction: http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm

I would wear gloves and mask when cleaning up the spill along with following advice given above. You are not supposed to throw away with regular trash but rather drop off at a recycling site that takes such material.

Yes, wear gloes, I agree with @RedPowerLady and don’t let any children near the area until you can get it all cleaned up.