Oct. 24 is Recycle Your Mercury Thermostat Day
TRC Asks Consumers & Contractors to Safely Recycle Mercury-Containing Thermostats
New York — Thermostat Recycling Corp. (TRC) urges consumers to examine their thermostats and recycle them if their unit contains mercury on Sunday, Oct. 24, Recycle Your Mercury Thermostat Day.
“TRC has recycled millions of mercury-containing thermostats, yet we continue in our mission to find and recycle that last mercury-containing thermostat,” said Danielle Myers, operations and compliance manager, TRC. “While we recognize the tremendous strides we’ve made in replacing these thermostats, we know that older versions still exist and pose a potential health risk if not properly recycled.”
Mercury was a component in millions of thermostats until the industry discontinued the practice. U.S. manufacturers stoppedmaking them between 2004 and 2007, but a safe assumption is that a few remain in aging homes.
Mercury is a well-known hazard both to personal health and the environment. TRC has led the way in promoting the removal and safe recycling of mercury-containing thermostats for more than 20 years.
“We have succeeded for 22 years in replacing and recycling these units because of our national network of wholesalers who served as the collection point for mercury-containing thermostats,” Myers said. “They have faithfully committed themselves to ensuring that our collection and recycling process has been a success for more than two decades.”
Wholesalers send the thermostats to a TRC processing facility. Experts dismantle and recycle the units, then remove the mercury for safe storage. Mercury is an element and cannot be destroyed.
TRC created Recycle Your Mercury Thermostat Day in 2018 as part of its marketing and public relations efforts to highlight the need to collect and safely recycle mercury-containing thermostats.
“We created and celebrate Recycle Your Mercury Thermostat Day as a public service to consumers by creating awareness about the issue,” said Myers. “While we’ve removed millions, we know some are still out there, and we intend to find and recycle them all.”
Consumers or contractors can find their nearest recycling location by keying in their zip code at www.trcprod.wpengine.com.
About Thermostat Recycling Corporation
Thermostat Recycling Corporation, founded in 1998, is an industry-funded nonprofit corporation supported by 30 manufacturers that historically branded and sold mercury thermostats in the United States. TRC maintains a network of more than 3,600 collection sites nationwide and has recovered more than 2.7 million thermostats containing 12 tons of mercury since its inception. TRC assumes all costs to transport and properly dispose of mercury switch thermostats recovered from service. Learn more about TRC at trcprod.wpengine.com.
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