Thermostats made before 2009 contain mercury, a neurotoxin that harms infants and children: Each year in the United States, as many as 460,000 babies are born impaired by mercury exposure . Although mercury thermostats are no longer sold in the United States, they last for as many as 50 years and many building still use them. When landfilled, these products can release mercury into the environment.
How can we reclaim more mercury thermostats to protect people and the environment? Extended producer responsibility. Voluntary industry programs, such as one run by the Thermostat Recycling Corporation (TRC), are helpful but limited: Only 8% of mercury thermostats are currently recycled nationwide. However, in the mid-2000s, PSI’s research, national multi-stakeholder dialogues, and pilot programs demonstrated that mandated EPR take-back programs for mercury thermostats could be highly impactful.
In 2006, PSI mediated the first mercury thermostat EPR law in Maine; since then, PSI’s legislative model and our work helped enact mercury thermostat EPR laws in 13 states. Unfortunately, some of these laws were weakened during the legislative process and are not as effective as those that follow PSI’s best practices.
The best EPR programs, like those in Maine and Vermont, boast the highest thermostat recycling rates in the country because they provide a significant financial reward for each mercury thermostat returned; in 2021, California amended its law to include a minimum $30 incentive for returning each mercury thermostat for recycling. We monitor the lessons learned from these programs to help states strengthen their laws and empower others to pass well-crafted legislation.
What can you do? Tell your representatives that you support mercury thermostat EPR legislation. Then, learn where to recycle or safely dispose of mercury thermostats in your community.
If you’re a PSI Member or Partner, search our Resource Library for in-depth information on mercury thermostat stewardship in the United States and around the world and our Legislation Library for a detailed history of mercury thermostat EPR bills and laws in the U.S.