RWS-Sponsored Mercury Product Collections Kept Harmful Mercury from Entering Waste Stream

More than 250 pounds of mercury thermometers, button cell batteries and other products were collected as well as 2,500 fluorescent light bulbs

Regional Waste Systems, Inc. collected more than 250 pounds of mercury-containing items in a series of regional mercury product collections held in six southern Maine communities over the summer and fall, preventing the harmful substance from entering the waste stream in the regular trash.

In all, more than 400 residents dropped off materials at the collections and 225 digital thermometers were given out by RWS in exchange for mercury thermometers. The mercury-containing products collected included such items as thermostats, thermometers, electrical switches and gauges and button cell batteries. A number of residents brought in containers of liquid mercury as well, organizers said. Also, more than 2,500 mercury-containing fluorescent light bulbs were collected.

Mercury is a toxic element that can affect the environment and human health and should not be disposed of with other trash. As part of an ongoing, comprehensive effort to reduce the amount of mercury that enters the waste stream, RWS organized the collections for residents of the 27 cities and towns it serves to give people a safe place to throw the items away. A non-profit, municipal-owned organization, RWS promoted the campaign through a series of news releases and flyers printed up for each of the RWS municipalities to pass out at town offices and other public places.

"The mercury in those collected items will thankfully never enter the waste stream, and we're encouraged that so many residents took part in this effort," said Norm Justice, chairman of the RWS 28-member board.

The collections were held in Windham, Waterboro, Bridgton, Scarborough, Yarmouth, and Portland and were handled for RWS by Clean Harbors of South Portland, which will recycle or properly dispose of the mercury as a hazardous material.

Organizers tout the program as the most effective way to collect and dispose of items with mercury while giving residents the opportunity to take an active part in reducing mercury released into the environment.

"It's important that we do all that we can to reduce the amount of mercury that gets into the waste stream," said Mark Arienti, environmental manager at RWS. "When disposed of improperly, this material can adversely impact human health and the environment. This program allowed residents in our member communities to rid their homes of common items containing mercury in an environmentally safe and convenient way."

If people have additional questions about disposing of mercury, they can contact their town to find out if the state has funded a mercury collection program there, or hold onto any items containing mercury until the next scheduled collection.

RWS also last fall installed new carbon equipment that has reduced by 85 percent the mercury emissions from items incinerated after being disposed of in the trash. Buoyed by the new equipment, the mercury-reduction efforts to date at RWS have enabled it to meet state and federal guidelines for mercury emissions, RWS officials said. The mercury collection program has helped RWS even further reduce those emissions.

Mercury is emitted from waste-to-energy plants when products containing mercury are thrown away in the trash and enter the waste stream. It is not a byproduct of the burning process, but rather the result of products such as fever thermometers and fluorescent lamps in the solid waste stream. Last year, RWS teamed up with the Portland Water District to hold a mercury thermometer exchange program where 300 digital thermometers were given to area residents who turned in mercury thermometers.

RWS is a non-profit solid waste management corporation that is owned and controlled by 21 cities and towns, and also has six associate member towns. RWS also has the largest municipal recycling program in the state. Established in 1974 after Portland, South Portland, Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough decided to form a cooperative to handle their waste disposal, today RWS is governed by a 28-member board, consisting of officials appointed from member towns. RWS accepts solid waste and recycled materials from these communities and also has a comprehensive, state-of-the-art recycling program with more than 100 recycling bins in 60 locations. For additional information on RWS, visit the RWS web site, http://www.regionalwaste.org.
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