Illinois House Passes Bill for Mercury Thermostat Collection
House Bill 5348, sponsored by Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, passed the House unanimously today. The bill creates a program to collect and recycle mercury containing thermostats. Last year Illinois banned the sale of new mercury thermostats, and this bills addresses the problem of thermostats that are currently installed in homes and other buildings.
Each mercury thermostat contains as much as 3 grams of mercury, enough to contaminate a 60 acre lake and all of its fish. The Illinois EPA estimates that somewhere between 88,000 and 132,000 mercury thermostats are disposed of annually in Illinois, with only about 5 percent being collected for recycling.
Below is a video clip from the House Environmental Health Committee hearing on March 11, 2008 when HB 5348 was debated by the committee.
In every session of the Illinois state legislature, the IEC initiates bills, shepherds many more through the legislative process and works to defeat proposals that will degrade the state's natural heritage. Keep on top of the current status of key state legislation.
