Thermostat Recycling Corp.‘s Recycling Program Increases 6% in First Quarter

Thermostat Recycling Corp. (TRC) collections have increased 6% in its first-quarter collection efforts between Jan. 1 and March 31. It collected 48,639 mercury-containing thermostats compared with 45,703 during the same period in 2018.

During the first quarter, Johnstone Supply leads the list of 687 wholesale branch collection locations where at least one thermostat was recycled, followed by R.E. Michel and United Refrigeration. The top 10 list and the number of thermostats they collected are:

Johnstone Supply                                         6,051

R. E. Michel Co.                                           4,411

United Refrigeration                                     1,281

Ferguson                                                     1,123

US Air Conditioning Distributors (USACD)  1,048

Lennox                                                           848

F.W. Webb                                                      825

Goodman Distribution                                    710

Famous Supply Co.                                       656

Sid Harvey                                                     538

“Finding a 6% increase during the first quarter was a mild surprise as the collection numbers have declined since our peak in 2014,” said Danielle Myers, operations and compliance manager, TRC.

“We typically see a modest amount of increases in thermostat collection in the first quarter because branches like to clean the bin out for the new year.  As the year progresses, the declining numbers become more apparent. However, we are thrilled that our collection partners continue to serve as the front-line participants in identifying, removing and safely recycling mercury-containing thermostats.”

First quarter results show that California led collection efforts with 5,059 units, followed by Massachusetts with 2,885 units and Pennsylvania with 2,880.

The recycling process picks up attention again when TRC launches its annual BMOP competition May 1. This six-month competition identifies the top wholesalers in the HVACR industry that participate in the recycling efforts.

Last year, TRC rebranded the competition as Banish Mercury Off the Planet. Wholesalers can learn about the competition at https://www.trcprod.wpengine.com/bmop. TRC recognizes winners at HARDI’s annual conference in December in New Orleans.

About Thermostat Recycling Corporation
Thermostat Recycling Corporation, founded in 1998, is an industry-funded nonprofit corporation supported by 31 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 2.5 million thermostats, containing 11 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 thermostat-recycle.org.