Maine council: Discard mercury thermostats

PORTLAND – Mainers are being urged to get rid of old thermostats that contain mercury now that a new law outlawing sales of the thermostats has gone into effect.

The Natural Resources Council of Maine held a press conference Tuesday at a hardware store to demonstrate the use of digital, nonmercury thermostats and discuss recycling options for old ones. The law banning sales of thermostats with mercury went into effect Jan. 1.

The resources council said it will be working to pass a bill this legislative session requiring thermostat manufacturers to pay a $5 bounty for each thermostat turned in for disposal.

Less than 10 percent of the mercury contained in thermostats removed from buildings in Maine is turned in for proper disposal, resulting in as much as 185 pounds of mercury being discarded, dumped into landfills or incinerated each year, the organization said.

“While banning the sale of mercury thermostats was a critical first step, there’s still enough mercury hanging in Maine homes to contaminate every lake, river and stream in the state,” said Natural Resources Council outreach coordinator Matt Prindiville. “It’s time for Maine’s legislators to finish the job on thermostats.”

Thermostats in Maine buildings now contain a total of some 5,600 pounds of mercury, the organization said, citing Department of Environmental Protection statistics. The mercury capsules in thermostats can pose a threat to home occupants, trash haulers and Maine’s environment.

Legislators passed the law banning the old thermostats in 2001.