Thermostat Recycling Corp.’s Mercury-Containing Thermostat Collection Up Nearly 5%
New York, New York — Thermostat Recycling Corp. (TRC) collected 4.9% more pounds of mercury from thermostats in 2021 when compared with its efforts in 2020. As a result, it collected 937 pounds of mercury in 2021, compared with 892 pounds in 2020.
There were 93,045 mercury-containing thermostat units collected and recycled in 2021 compared with 85,351 in 2020, an increase of slightly more than 9%.
“Despite the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, our partners showed their commitment to recycling, resulting in an almost 5% increase in the pounds of mercury collected and recycled,” said Danielle Myers, operations & compliance manager, TRC. “This increase at a time of turbulence in the business world and our personal lives is astonishing. I can only thank our partners in the field, who are persistent at removing the thermostats.”
TRC’s top 10 recycling partners by pounds of mercury are:
| Partners | Mercury Volume (lbs.) |
| Johnstone Supply | 172.3104 |
| R. E. Michel Co. | 107.7374 |
| United Refrigeration | 32.8724 |
| Lennox | 27.4474 |
| Watsco | 24.8992 |
| Ferguson | 20.8878 |
| Refrigeration Supplies Distributor (RSD) | 18.8542 |
| F.W. Webb | 18.4822 |
| G.W. Berkheimer | 15.8100 |
| Geary Pacific | 13.1378 |
The top three states in the United States for recycling thermostats are California, Pennsylvania and Minnesota.
The collection numbers reached a peak in 2014 with 203,346 units.
“TRC’s partners are a marvelous example of persistence and grit during a pandemic that became overwhelming,” Myers said. “They exhibited the highest standards of concern and follow through by keeping mercury out of the waste stream.”
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About Thermostat Recycling Corporation
Thermostat Recycling Corp., 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. To learn more about TRC, visit www.trcprod.wpengine.com.