Maine´s hot for recycling
Waste News
By Joe Truini
From the April 24, 2006 Issue
Mercury thermostat manufacturers must take responsibility for recycling their products under a new Maine law.
Maine is the first state to require manufacturers to provide a financial incentive to recycle commercial and residential building thermostats that contain mercury and require everyone to recycle the devices. The law also mandates all manufacturers that sold the devices in the state to participate in a mercury thermostat recycling program.
As of now, only the three largest thermostat manufacturers - Honeywell International Inc., General Electric Co. and White-Rodgers, an Emerson Electric Co. division - fund mercury thermostat recycling programs through the Thermostat Recycling Corp., which is under the umbrella of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association.
"Under Maine´s new mercury product law, those that make it, retake it," said Jon Hinck, an attorney for Thermostat Recycling Corp.
The TRC likely will allow other thermostat manufacturers that aren´t members of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association to buy into its program, said Mark Kohorst, recycling group´s executive director.
"Certainly, I don´t see us closing our door on another company simply because it would be an advantage to the TRC to have more members," he said. "And it would further this whole cause of getting these things out of the waste stream."
It also makes sense for other manufacturers to join TRC´s established program rather than start their own.
"It´s up and running, established, growing. There´d be no reason for them to not join," Kohorst said.
Gov. John Baldacci signed the law April 14 to help reduce mercury emissions from thermostats. The law mandates all mercury thermostats be recycled and establishes a minimum value of $5, which could come in the form of a rebate for a new thermostat, for each one returned.
The law requires contractors as well as do-it-yourselfers to return old mercury thermostats removed during construction or renovations. A previous Maine law banned the sale of new mercury thermostats in the state as of January.
Maine´s mandate is unique, but California, Vermont and Washington also have banned the sale of mercury thermostats.
Maryland and Massachusetts have proposed bans and New York and Connecticut have laws phasing out the sale of mercury thermostats. Oregon law prohibits the installation of mercury thermostats in commercial and residential buildings.
Contact Waste News reporter Joe Truini at (330) 865-6166 or