Mercury Recovery
- Overview
As part of Massachusetts’s Zero Mercury Strategy, the Covanta Haverhill Energy from Waste Facility has developed a program to promote the recycling of mercury containing products.
Covanta’s Mercury Material Separation Program (MSP) was first kicked off in 2001. Since then, the plan has been evaluated each year and has evolved to target many different sources of mercury that are found in every day products seen in homes, businesses and public buildings. As a result of stricter air pollution controls and the Material Separation Plans, the US EPA estimates that mercury emissions have been reduced by 91%.
Covanta Haverhill, Inc. employs a full-time MSP Coordinator, Daniel Harty, who works with the client communities that send their municipal waste to Covanta Haverhill.
In 2008, Covanta Haverhill collected and properly disposed of more than 75 lbs of mercury recovered from thousands of thermostats, thermometers, devices and over 228,000 feet of fluorescent lighting.
- Material Separation Plan
Covanta Haverhill’s Material Separation Plan has five main components:
1. Public Awareness.
This component is designed to educate the public through radio advertisements, printed media, and presentations, about mercury-containing products and how to properly dispose of them.
2. Public Collection Events.
Covanta Haverhill sponsors mercury product collection events for its client communities throughout the year. Each event provides an opportunity for businesses and residents to recycle spent bulbs (fluorescent, HID, etc.) at NO COST. Residents may also bring in any other mercury-containing products including thermostats, button batteries, fever thermometers, and containers of mercury. Businesses with larger amounts of light bulbs may opt to send them directly to the recycler, and Covanta will reimburse them for 50% of the cost.
3. Thermometer Swaps.
A program has been set up to recycle mercury- containing thermometers. The thermometer swaps are held throughout the year at senior centers, local fairs, and during flu clinics. When a mercury thermometer is turned in, a digital one is given as a replacement. In addition, each community’s health department has been set up with thermometer recycling pails and digital replacements for ongoing recycling.
4. Municipal Reimbursement For Mercury Programs
To assist communities with the cost associated with mercury product recycling, Covanta reimburses all Covanta contract communities for the cost incurred in collecting, storing, and recycling of residentially and/or municipally generated mercury containing products (fluorescent bulbs, thermostats, thermometers, etc) collected at HHW days or at permanent facilities (Universal Waste Sheds).
5. Tradesman Partnership.
This program provides outreach to tradesmen that regularly deal with mercury-containing products such as thermostats and bulbs. Specifically, Covanta provides a financial incentive to Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) mechanics, plumbers, and other tradesmen and assists with proper disposal of the products.
6. School/Health Clinic Clean Outs and Outreach.
In this program, Covanta has retained an engineering firm to conduct thorough surveys of school buildings for any mercury-containing products. Once the survey is complete, Covanta Haverhill will coordinate the removal of these products and their replacement with non-mercury substitutes at no cost to the school.
- Links
Visit http://www.keepmercuryfromrising.org , a Covanta-sponsored website for more information on which products contain mercury and where you can recycle your mercury product.
Visit the MA DEP website, http://www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/solid/mspcomp.htm to review our complete material separation plan. Our annual reports are also available at that site if you would like to get more information on the success of the program.
- Contact
Daniel Harty, Material Separation Coordinator
Covanta Haverhill
100 Recovery Way
Haverhill, MA 01835
(978) 241-3002
dharty@covantaenergy.com