MISSISSAUGA, Ontario - The Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) expanded the “Switch the ’Stat” Thermostat Recovery Program into the province of Manitoba as of July 2011.

According to HRAI, Switch the ’Stat offers a free and easy solution for contractors to recycle decommissioned thermostats collected from their customers. There are currently more than 1,500 participants registered as collection points across Canada and new collection points are being established in Manitoba. Since the program’s inception in 2006, more than 63,000 mercury-containing thermostats have been collected and over 179 kilograms of mercury diverted from landfill.

The Switch the ’Stat program has been approved by the Manitoba Minister of Conservation to meet the requirements of the Household Hazardous Material and Prescribed Material Stewardship Regulation of the Waste Reduction and Prevention (WRAP) Act. HRAI and its delivery partner, Summerhill Impact, will be working with heating and cooling contractors and wholesalers in Manitoba to encourage the installation of energy-efficient programmable thermostats, while simultaneously diverting older mercury-containing and electronic thermostats from landfill.

Publication date: 07/18/2011