Oct. 7 -- The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has announced new laws concerning mercury thermostats in an effort to prevent the metal inside them from being released into the environment.
Under the new law, which takes effect Dec. 8, manufacturers who have sold mercury thermostats in Pennsylvania must collect and recycle old mercury thermostats at no cost to contractors and homeowners. Wholesalers located in Pennsylvania must serve as collection sites for the thermostats. The law also requires retailers and contractors to either participate as collection points or identify nearby collection points for consumers.
Thermostat Recycling Corporation of Arlington, Va., a non-profit group representing 29 manufacturers of mercury thermostats, and EWC Controls Inc. of Englishtown, N.J., submitted collection and recycling plans to the state. The plans target both consumers and contractors to collect the thermostats.
To view the plans, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us or call DEP’s Bureau of Waste Management at 717-787-6239.