Skip to Content Skip to Main Menu Skip to Global Menu
Colclough Lake Colclough Lake
Home Citizen Services Residents Businesses Visitors Emergency Services County Offices
You are here: Home > County Offices > Communications Office > Details
divider

Communications Office - Media Releases

CONTACT: Mark Sexton, Communications Coordinator
PHONE: (352) 374-5204; CELL: (352) 283-2317
EMAIL: msexton@alachuacounty.us

For Immediate Release



County Participating in Mercury Thermostat Recycling Program

6/30/2006 3:23 PM

ALACHUA COUNTY — The Alachua County Hazardous Waste Collection Center has been chosen to participate in a pilot program to collect mercury thermostats from homeowners. The pilot program between Alachua County Environmental Protection Department and The Thermostat Recycling Corporation will accept all brands of wall mounted mercury thermostats. The mercury switches contained in the thermostat will be transported to a company for proper disposal.

Alachua County was one of a select few counties across the country invited to participate in the pilot program. There is no cost for dropping off the mercury thermostats; the intention of the program is to increase homeowners’ awareness of the heavy metal mercury that is contained in the non-digital thermostats, which has long lasting effects on the environment. Other mercury containing devices such as fever thermometers and fluorescent lamps are also accepted for collection.

The disposal location for mercury containing thermostats, as well as other household hazardous waste, is at the Alachua County Hazardous Waste Collection Center, located at 5125 NE 63rd Ave., approximately 2 miles north of the airport off Waldo Road.

From more information citizens can call the Alachua County Hazardous Collection Center at (352) 334-0440. Citizens can visit The Thermostat Recycling Corporation on the web at http://www.nema.org/gov/ehs/trc/.

If you have a disability and need an accommodation in order to participate in a County program, service or public meeting, please contact the Alachua County Equal Opportunity Office at (352)374-5275 at least 3 business days prior to the event. TTY users please call 711 (Florida Relay Service).

-30-

This website is a public service. Please read the Legal Disclaimer. Website designed and engineered by Alachua County ITS.Applications Division Version 2010 (v1.0)

Under Florida law (Statute 119.011), all information, including e-mail, written letters, documents and phone messages, sent to the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners is subject to Public Records law. This includes the sender's e-mail address, home address or phone number if shown in the message, the content of the message and any associated attachments to the mail. Also please be aware that electronic correspondence (e-mail) is made available on the Commission's public archive site immediately upon being sent. Instead, contact Alachua County Offices by phone or in writing.