Thermostat Collection Program Available for Residents and Small Contractors

Those returning old mercury thermostats to participating Ace and TrueValue hardware stores receive $5 coupon

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) and the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) have launched a year-long pilot project that offers Illinois residents and small heating and cooling contractors easy, convenient locations for dropping off their mercury-containing thermostats. In exchange for each thermostat returned, participating hardware stores will provide a $5 coupon that can be used at that store. The Illinois Product Stewardship Council (ILPSC), through participation in PSI, has provided support for the program.

Many older household thermostats contain mercury — a toxic heavy metal that can cause serious health problems when it enters the environment. Mercury exposure can occur by breathing vapors, by direct skin contact or by eating food or drinking water contaminated with mercury. Even when thermostats are disposed of in a landfill, the mercury ends up in a liquid that is removed from the landfill and sent to a sewer treatment plant. The mercury is then discharged to the environment in the treatment plant’s effluent. Through this take-back program, Illinois EPA, PSI, and ILPSC aim to protect public health by increasing homeowner awareness of the need and opportunity to recycle mercury thermostats. The program will also help participating retailers build a positive reputation as community and environmental service providers, while increasing customer loyalty, foot traffic, and sales — all at little cost to them.

This program builds on the 2010 Illinois thermostat recycling law that requires thermostat manufacturers to set up collection and recycling programs for mercury thermostats. The Thermostat Recycling Corporation (TRC) was created by the industry to collect and recycle mercury thermostats, reducing waste and saving taxpayers and local governments money through decreased waste management costs. To promote this special program, TRC is offering free collection bins to participating hardware stores, normally a $25 per bin value.

“This program is a collaborative effort to reduce mercury pollution from old thermostats, which is a serious health problem,” said Scott Cassel, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of the Product Stewardship Institute. “Illinois EPA has taken the lead in developing this program; TRC will transport and recycle the thermostats once collected; retailers will provide residents and HVAC contractors with information and convenient collection locations; and HVAC contractors and residents will bring in the thermostats for safe disposal. This is shared responsibility and a win-win for the environment.”

The Illinois extended producer responsibility (EPR) law requires heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) contractors and service technicians to recycle mercury thermostats, and HVAC wholesalers to serve as collection sites. Many homeowners, however, are unaware that collection sites exist, where they are located, or how they can recycle their thermostats, and many may not realize the dangers mercury can pose. Illinois is one of only 13 states with such EPR laws.

Mary Allen, SWANCC Recycling and Education Director states, “Benefits of the new EPR pilot program include reducing the fees associated with the program’s recycling costs for government, providing more retail outlets to collect materials containing mercury and reducing the potential environmental dangers of improper disposal.” Residents and small heating and cooling contractors are able to locate a drop-off location for thermostats at productstewardship.us.

Retailers can sign up for the program by contacting Becky Jayne at Illinois EPA at (217) 524-9642. Ms. Jayne will take care of the paperwork on each retailer’s behalf, facilitate the shipment of a TRC bin, and provide promotional materials and coupons. For information on special material collection programs in the SWANCC region, visit swancc.org.

Currently, DeKalb County’s only Ace or TrueValue Hardware store is:

Tobinson Hardware
361 Sycamore Rd
Genoa, IL 60135
815.784.6004

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About the Product Stewardship Institute:
The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) is a national, membership-based nonprofit committed to reducing the health, safety, and environmental impacts of consumer products across their lifecycle with a strong focus on sustainable end-of-life management. Headquartered in Boston, Mass., PSI takes a unique product stewardship approach to solving waste management problems by encouraging product design changes and mediating stakeholder dialogues. With 47 state environmental agency members, along with hundreds of local government members from coast-to-coast, and 110 corporate, business, academic, non-U.S. government, and organizational partners, we work to design, implement, evaluate, strengthen, and promote both legislative and voluntary product stewardship initiatives across North America. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

About the Illinois Product Stewardship Council:
The Illinois Product Stewardship Council (ILPSC) is a coalition of public and private entities including local governments, state governments, businesses, environmental groups, NGOs, solid waste agencies, associations, and individuals in Illinois. The Product Stewardship Institute serves as coordinator for this Council. The mission of ILPSC is to shift the product waste management system in Illinois from one focused on governmentfunded and ratepayer-financed waste diversion to one that relies on producer responsibility in order to reduce public costs, increase opportunities for waste minimization and resource recovery, raise recycling rates, and drive improvements in product design that promote environmental sustainability. As a significant consequence of this evolution, the green jobs sector will continue to grow, offering an increasing number of in-state recycling industry jobs. The Illinois Product Stewardship Council will work to integrate the principles of product stewardship into the policy and economic structures of Illinois including the Illinois Solid Waste Management Plan. Visit illinoispsc.org for more information.