The Thermostat Recycling Corporation has recovered more than 1.8 million thermostats since 1998. In 2014, they set a record of more than 203,000 mercury thermostats collected.
Contracting Business reported that this was a 12 percent increase over 2013.
TRC’s collection program primarily relies on HVAC contractors who remove mercury thermostats from service and return them to wholesale distributors participating in TRC’s program to be recycled. The HVAC industry continued to lead in terms of collections as wholesale distributor locations contributed 78 percent of all collections nationwide.
“This is a big achievement since all major manufacturers of mercury thermostats ceased production by 2009, meaning the amount available to recover continues to decline,” says Mark Tibbetts, TRC’s Executive Director. “These gains help us make a greater positive impact on the environment thanks to the continued dedication of our collection partners.”
Visit our sister site, Contracting Business, to learn more about this effort to recycle old thermostats.