ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A New York bill has been signed into law that requires any person or contractor who replaces a mercury-containing thermostat to deliver it to an appropriate collection site to be recycled. The bill also mandates that as of July 1, 2014, no HVAC wholesale distributor shall sell or distribute any thermostat unless the wholesaler participates as a collection site to recycle mercury thermostats.

The New York law requires all manufacturers of mercury thermostats sold in the state to either individually or collectively participate in a collection program.
The New York collection program is supported by 31 manufacturers participating in Thermostat Recycling Corp. (TRC). TRC is a collection program that provides distributors a way to comply with this new state law.

Distributors looking to sign up as a collection site can contact TRC at 1-888-266-0550, or visit www.thermostat-recycle.org for more information about the program.