May 8, 2018   SOURCE: PR NewsWire

Johnstone Supply Leads TRC's 1st Quarter Thermostat Recycling Tally

Johnstone Supply Leads TRC's 1st Quarter Thermostat Recycling Tally

Previous Recycling Success Points to Lower Units Recycled

FORT WASHINGTON, Pa., May 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Thermostat Recycling Corp. (TRC) released its first-quarter results of collection locations that have recycled thermostats between Jan. 1 and March 31.

Johnstone Supply leads the list of 278 collection locations where at least one thermostat, was recycled, followed by R.E. Michel and newcomer Wheelabrator Technologies with their affiliated accounts. The top 10 list and the number of thermostats they collected are:

    Company                                               Mercury Thermostats Collected

    1       Johnstone Supply (National)                                          3,289

    2       R. E. Michel Company (National)                                      2,724

    3       Wheelabrator Technologies (Massachusetts)                            1,145

    4       United Refrigeration (National)                                        931

    5       Lennox Parts Plus (National)                                           753

    6       Watsco Owned Distribution (National)                                   487

    7       Rise Engineering (New England)                                         464

    8       U.S. Air Conditioning Distributors (Regional)                          435

    9       Gustave A Larson (Regional)                                            351

    10      F.W. Webb (Regional)                                                   347

"We are heartened by these committed collection locations who have made it a goal and a company policy to recycle mercury containing thermostats whenever possible," said Ryan Kiscaden, executive director, Thermostat Recycling Corp. "What is most surprising is the strength of these companies' collections that don't necessarily occupy a national footprint. For example, locations located in Massachusetts are up 89 percent."

"We are proud to be involved with TRC and the good work they are doing," said Steve Porter, vice president of Product Management, Johnstone Supply Inc. "And, we love the "Big Man on Planet" contest as it allows us to compete with our fellow HARDI friends in a fun way. The industry, with TRC's help, is doing a great job of keeping mercury out of our waterways and landfills."

Kiscaden said that the success of TRC's collection efforts have reduced the number of recycled units, while adding cost to the per unit collection.

"We are in the unusual situation that our very success reduces future opportunities in our recycling efforts," said Kiscaden. "We often say that when we recycle that last mercury containing thermostat, we've crossed the finish line. It's a shared goal and one that we, on behalf of the manufacturers, take seriously."

Kiscaden illustrates the reduced collection numbers by noting that the top 10 collection locations that collected and recycled thermostats in the first quarter 2016 was 21,812 units compared with 10,926 in the first quarter 2018, resulting in a decrease of 49.9 percent.

The recycling process picks up attention again when TRC launches its annual BMOP competition -- usually during a six-month period -- which identifies the top wholesalers in the HVACR industry. This year, the competition is rebranded as Banish Mercury Off the Planet. Wholesalers can learn about the competition at https://www.thermostat-recycle.org/bmop. TRC recognizes winners at HARDI's annual conference in December in Austin, Texas.

"This is a great mission TRC is undertaking for our HVACR industry community," said HARDI CEO Talbot Gee. "The new BMOP name only goes to show the importance of how significant the effects are when we remove mercury from our working, home and natural environments. HARDI has always been extremely supportive to TRC in this endeavor, and I encourage our members to once again lead the charge."

About Thermostat Recycling Corporation
Thermostat Recycling Corporation, founded in 1998, is an industry-funded nonprofit corporation supported by 31 manufacturers that historically branded and sold mercury thermostats in the United States. TRC maintains a network of more than 3,600 collection sites nationwide and has recovered more than 2.4 million thermostats, containing 11 tons of mercury, since its inception. TRC assumes all costs to transport and properly dispose of mercury switch thermostats recovered from service. Learn more about TRC at thermostat-recycle.org.

CONTACT: Tom Peri?, 856.874.0049, tom@thegalileo.com

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SOURCE Thermostat Recycling Corporation