The thermostat recycling program has been expanded! Certain heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) contractors are now eligible to obtain their own recycling container.
The program is a reverse distribution system in which HVAC contractors and technicians collect out-of-service thermostats from both household and commercial consumers. The thermostats are placed in special collection containers at participating facilities.
When the collection container is full, the participating facility returns the container to Thermostat Recycling Corp. in exchange for a new container. Thermostat Recycling Corp. arranges for recycling of the mercury from the thermostats.
- See how easy it is to participate in this program by reviewing the information and guidelines for facilities participating in the thermostat recycling program.
- See also a list of questions and answers for HVAC contractors interested in participating in this program.
How you can help
- For the recycling program to be successful, we need your active support and cooperation. Your role is to retain all out-of-service wall-mounted mercury thermostats that you replace during the course of your work.
- If you're located in a rural part of the state, or if your facility has seven or more service technicians or furnace installers, please consider obtaining your own collection container to make it as convenient as possible for your employees to turn in old thermostats for recycling.
- Even if you don't qualify to have your own thermostat collection container, you should take the thermostats you've collected to a participating wholesaler or distributor. If your supplier doesn't participate in this program, please encourage it to do so!
Who can have a collection container
Originally, only heating, ventilating and air conditioning wholesalers and distributors could have collection containers. The idea was that multiple contractors and service technicians would take their thermostats to a central collection point. Experience has shown that larger HVAC contractors that maintain their own parts inventory and those in rural parts of the state often don't regularly visit their wholesaler. Therefore, the program has been expanded to allow certain contractors to obtain their own containers.
In urban and suburban counties, a contractor must employ seven or more service technicians and/or furnace installers before it's eligible to get a thermostat collection container.
In rural counties, any contractor can get a collection container because it's often inconvenient for them to travel to a participating wholesaler. "Rural" is defined as any county not in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget's Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA).
- Review the list of Colorado counties in Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Non-Metropolitan Statistical Areas to see if you're eligible to obtain a thermostat collection container.
Cost and signing up
There's an initial cost of $25 per collection container, but all other costs of shipment and recycling are borne by Thermostat Recycling Corp.
- To obtain one or more collection bins, please complete the order form (Link) and return it to Thermostat Recycling Corp. for processing.
There's no cost to contractors, technicians or consumers to participate in the program if they take their thermostats to a participating facility that has a collection container.