Montana

Disposal & Recycling of Mercury-Containing Thermostats

Thermostats are commonly found in most homes and are also used for commercial applications as a means of regulating room temperature. Older mechanical thermostats often contained mercury.
The photo shows some common mercury thermostats and the glass ampoule under the cover which contains the mercury. Mercury-containing thermostats should not be disposed of in the regular trash.

On January 1st, 2010, legislation banning the sale, distribution, and disposal of mercury-containing thermostats into solid waste goes into effect in Montana. This legislation requires thermostat manufactures to establish collection programs for contractor and consumer-generated mercury thermostats. It also requires wholesalers to participate as collection points for the drop off of mercury thermostats.

TRC provides collection containers to HVAC wholesalers, thermostat retailers, HVAC contractors, and household hazardous waste collection facilities for a nominal one time charge of $25. TRC assumes all costs to ship and properly dispose of the thermostat.

How can you participate in the program?

Bring your mercury-containing thermostat to any TRC collection location for proper disposal. To locate  a collection point, please use the search tool on this site.