Mercury Regulations
- Indiana Code IC 13-20-17: Restrictions on Batteries Containing Mercury
- This law restricts the sale and distribution of batteries containing mercury.
- Indiana Code IC 13-20-17.5: Mercury and Mercury Products Law
- This law restricts the sale of mercury-added novelties, thermometers, mercury compounds, and equipment for use in school laboratories, and the general sale of mercury-containing commodities.
- Universal Waste Rule Guidance (329 IAC 3.1-16, incorporating 40 CFR 273)
- The Universal Waste Rule is a modification of the Hazardous Waste Rules, enacted under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which is designed to reduce regulatory management requirements so as to foster the environmentally sound recycling or disposal of certain specified categories of commonly generated hazardous wastes.
Mercury Related Programs at IDEM
- Fish Consumption Advisories:
- The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), with support from Purdue University, collaborate to produce an annual Indiana Fish Consumption Advisory based on the statewide collection and analysis of fish samples for long-lasting contaminants found in fish tissue such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, and/or heavy metals (e.g., mercury)
- Mercury Switch Program (CTAP):
- Indiana law requires each motor vehicle recycler to remove all mercury switches from each end of life vehicle when it is received. IDEM will pay you $3.00 for each mercury switch and $5.00 for each ABS G-force sensor or other component containing more than 10 mg of mercury that you recycle through End of Life Vehicle Solutions (ELVS).
- Mercury Reduction Outreach for Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW):
- This program provides materials and resources to help you develop and implement a mercury pollutant minimization program plan.
Mercury Thermostat Reduction And Recycling Pledge Program
The Mercury Thermostat Reduction and Recycling Pledge Program was the beginning of several other initiatives to voluntarily reduce the amount of mercury-containing devices which may be found in our homes. Since the beginning of the program in September 1997 through its conclusion in 2007, nearly 200 Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) suppliers and contractors signed up to participate in our voluntary program. The program participants work with the Thermostat Recycling Corporation to utilize free recycling of discarded mercury-containing thermostats.
IDEM sincerely thanks the suppliers and contractors who took the pledge to reduce mercury in our homes and environment. Although the pledge program has ended, IDEM encourages all Hoosiers to properly recycle their mercury thermostats when they need to be replaced, and to replace them with mercury-free alternatives.
- Thermostat Recycling Corporation: find suppliers or contractors who participate in the Thermostat Recycling Corporation program.
- Suppliers and Contractors: to join or ask questions about the Thermostat Recycling Corporation’s program, please contact TRC at (800) 238-8192 or visit the Thermostat Recycling Corporation site.
Mercury Resources
- Information on US EPA Region 5's work with states and Environment Canada on mercury use and reduction is available from the Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy Mercury Workgroup.
- Eliminating Mercury in Hospitals [PDF] identifies where mercury is found in hospitals and how it can be eliminated. Gives persuasive reasons why it should be eliminated. Produced by U.S. EPA Region 9 Pollution Prevention Program.
- Lamp Recycling Information sponsored by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)