Maine Residents Being Paid to Recycle Mercury Thermometers

In Maine, an industry-funded non-profit, Thermostat Recycling Corporation (TRC), will pay residents $5 to return and recycle their old mercury thermostats. There is a new Maine law in effect that these items cannot be disposed of in household trash.

Thermostats manufacturers will be providing pre-paid UPS mailing labels to any resident who requests them.

Mark Kohorst, executive director of TRC, commented, “It is now not only
environmentally responsible, but profitable for Maine residents to avoid
throwing old thermostats in the trash. Homeowners can obtain mailing labels
from us either by phone or email and we encourage them to do so.”

Homeowners can get a mailing label by calling 1-800-238-8192 or sending an
electronic request to trc@nema.org. There is no special packaging required to ship
the thermostat. TRC recommends that each thermostat be inserted inside a zip-lock
bag and shipped in a well-sealed box. Homeowners should include the entire
thermostat, with its cover intact, and should never try to loosen or
remove the mercury bulbs contained inside. After entering a name and return
address on the prepaid label, the homeowner may drop the package at any UPS
outlet or call UPS to arrange pick-up.

Kohorst commented,”Over time, we hope to work with some large retailers to make it
easy for homeowners to drop off old thermostats when they shop, rather than
rely on the mail.”

www.nema.org/gov/ehs/trc