ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Effective July 1, any person or contractor who replaces a mercury-containing thermostat in New York or Connecticut must deliver it to an appropriate collection site to be recycled.

A new bill also mandates that no HVAC wholesale distributor in those states shall sell or distribute any thermostat unless it also participates as a collection site to recycle mercury thermostats. The bill also requires all manufacturers of mercury thermostats sold in those states to either individually or collectively participate in a collection program.

Publication date: 6/2/2014