PORTLAND, Maine — You can no longer buy mercury thermostats in the state of Maine.
A new law is in effect, meaning the old thermostats will soon be a thing of the past.
Mercury-free thermostats are more energy-efficient than their predecessors and are now the only choice consumers will find in Maine stores.
Homeowners with mercury thermostats in their homes needn’t worry, according to the Natural Resources Council of Maine’s Matt Prindville, who said, “When they’re on the walls, the mercury is not going to get released into the environment. The problem comes when they’re taken off the wall and they’re put in the trash inadvertently. Then they’re winding up in waste incinerators or landfills where they can get into the environment and into us.”>/p>
Portland residents can take their old thermostats to Riverside Recycling for a safe and free disposal. Residents of other communities can call their local transfer station or public works department for more information on environmentally safe disposal.
