Mercury Switch Wall Mounted Thermostats

Thermostats containing mercury that are used in homes and other buildings cannot be placed in the garbage. A typical mercury thermostat contains 3 grams of mercury that can be released into the environment if the thermostat is broken or improperly disposed. They must be safely handled so the mercury can be recovered.

At this time, the program described below is available only to contractors, and not residents. Do it yourself remodelers must take their mercury switches to the County’s Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Station for proper handling.

The Thermostat Recycling Corporation TRC is a private corporation established by thermostat manufacturers Honeywell, General Electric, and White Rodgers. Under this voluntary, industry-sponsored program, heating, ventilation, and cooling contractors can drop off used mercury-switch thermostats—no matter what brand—at participating wholesalers. There is no charge to contractors. Wholesalers collect the thermostats in protective bins supplied by TRC. When the bins are full, wholesalers send them to the TRC’s recycling center, where the TRC removes the switches and forwards them to a mercury recycler.

There are roughly 1,000 wholesale stores across the United States participating in the program. See list of participating wholesalers.