Recycle Your Mercury Thermostat Day Oct. 24

Thermostat Recycling Corp. urges consumers to examine their thermostats and recycle them if their unit contains mercury on Recycle Your Mercury Thermostat Day—Sunday, Oct. 24.

“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 stopped making 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.

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.

Consumers or contractors can find their nearest recycling location by keying in their zip code at www.thermostat-recycle.org.