|
 
|
Midwest HVAC News
TRC Applauds Illinois’ New
Mercury Containing Thermostat Regulations.
During a recent review of its plan for recycling mercury containing
thermostats, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency changed
the goals set under the state’s Thermostat Collection Act for the
years 2015 to 2020. The amended guidelines acknowledge that the
original numerical collection goals calling for a specific number of
mercury containing thermostats were unrealistic moving forward. The
regulation modified both collection targets and added a series of
programmatic activities to complete annually.
“We applaud the Illinois EPA in formulating new guidelines regarding
mercury containing thermostats that recognize the reality of the
marketplace and the continued diminishing returns we can expect,”
said Ryan Kiscaden, executive director, Thermostat Recycling Corp. (TRC).
“We reached the apex of our collection process in 2014, and through
our efforts and other industry partners, we have successfully
recycled millions of mercury containing thermostats throughout the
United States and tens of thousands in Illinois.”
Story
continues below ↓
advertisement
| your
ad here
TRC’s support of the
Illinois action acknowledges the state’s realistic appraisal of
the marketplace and the work the program has already achieved.
Some environmental advocates continue to maintain the pursuit of
numerical recycling targets that were set years ago, either
voluntarily or by state mandates. Kiscaden said those goals did
not have merit then, and the truth is playing out in the
present. Past successes and the acceptance that no one
manufactures mercury containing thermostats for the residential
market were never taken into consideration.
“We are in agreement with environmentalists and our industry
partners that the effort to recycle these thermostats was a
sound idea,” he said. “Where we differ with some is that the act
of plucking an arbitrary number out of thin air for recycling is
effective. No one knows how many are still out there. What we
can see through demonstrative evidence is the number continues
to decline, not because of effort on the part of industry
partners, but because there are fewer of them and there is no
replenishment.”
There is also an added economic variable that will impact future
collections, according to Kiscaden. “As the collection number of
potential thermostats dwindles, the cost per unit will continue
to rise,” said Kiscaden. “It’s the unfortunate economic cloud
that hangs over us because of our successful recycling efforts.”
To date, TRC has collected more than 2.4 million mercury
containing thermostats and recycled and kept 11 tons of mercury
from entering the environmental stream.
Thermostat Recycling Corp., founded in 1998, is an
industry-funded nonprofit corporation supported by 30
manufacturers that historically branded and sold mercury
thermostats in the United States. TRC maintains a network of
more than 3,600 collection sites nationwide and has recovered
more than 2.4 million thermostats, containing 11 tons of
mercury, since its inception. TRC assumes all costs to transport
and properly dispose of mercury switch thermostats recovered
from service. To learn more about TRC, visit
www.thermostat-recycle.org.
###
|
|
