March 3, 2004

Several heating and plumbing suppliers now accept mercury-switch thermostats for recycling at no cost. Through the Thermostat Recycling Coalition (TRC) sponsored by Honeywell, General Electric and White-Rodgers, unwanted mercury-switch thermostats can be disposed of safely at these participating wholesalers:

S & A Supply Inc., 1311 East St., Pittsfield. 413-443-9681

F.W. Webb, 35 Commercial St., Pittsfield. 413-448-8205

Berkshire County Plumbing, 305 Stockbridge Rd., Gt. Barrington. 413-528-0056

Security Supply Co., 65 Walden St., North Adams. 413-664-6374

If products containing mercury are discarded as trash, the mercury is released into the air or water and enters the food chain. When people, especially pregnant women and young children, eat mercury contaminated fish, they can suffer from damage to the brain, spinal cord, kidneys and liver. The EPA recently estimated that 630,000 U.S. newborns are at risk for health problems due to unsafe mercury levels. Standard "dial-down" thermostats typically contain about 3 grams of mercury, enough to contaminate a 60 acre pond or lake. In the Berkshire area, the Department of Public Health has posted mercury advisories for Pontoosuc Lake, Konkapot River, Otis Reservoir and Big Pond. Fish from these lakes are considered unsafe to eat because of their mercury levels.

When purchasing or replacing thermostats, electronic models are preferable because they do not contain mercury. The new electronic thermostats have a programmable "set-back" feature which makes it easy to reduce the temperature at night or when no one is home during the day. Many residents are replacing the standard dial-down thermostat with electronic models as a way to conserve energy and save money.

The Center for Ecological Technology (CET), a non-profit environmental organization, is providing assistance to wholesalers as part of a larger effort to reduce the amount of toxic products in the waste stream. For more information about recycling thermostats or how to become a wholesale collection center, please contact Joy Kirschenbaum at CET 413-445-4556, 800-238-1221 or email joyk@cetonline.org. CET is active in the fields of energy and resource conservation and is funded in part by USDA Rural Development and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

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