![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Priority Chemicals
You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.
Priority Chemical Projects and Examples of previous Priority Chemical Projects and Grants:
Hospital Waste Prevention & Mercury Reduction Efforts ONGOING
Region 5 is encouraging hospitals to reduce their waste generation through Sustainable Hospitals Project. The goals of this program are to eliminate mercury and other toxic chemicals from the health care waste stream, and to promote green building and landscaping. By reducing waste, health care facilities can improve the environment, save money, and reduce liability.
GRANT: Product Stewardship Institute – PSI 4th National Fluorescent Lighting Dialogue Meeting (FY09, $29,932) ONGOING
The goal of the grant is to hold a meeting in Chicago which leads to reducing waste generation and increasing recycling by drafting and signing a Memorandum of Understanding describing agreed upon commitments by industry, NGOs and governments to set up an industry-funded program for fluorescent bulb collection and recycling in large urban areas.
GRANT: Product Stewardship Institute – Mercury Thermostat Collections at Household Hazardous Waste Centers (FY05, $15,000) COMPLETED
The Thermostat Recycling Corporation (TRC) will be expanding the collection of mercury-containing thermostats to household hazardous waste collection centers nation-wide. The result of the project provides homeowners with a free and in most cases convenient option for recycling their thermostats. The pilot study ran for eight months at fifty municipal household hazardous waste programs in five states. The fifty local programs operated 72 permanent and 111 mobile facilities and held 14 temporary events. They collected more that 3,000 mercury thermostats during the pilot. Thermostat manufacturers Honeywell International Inc., General Electric Co., Nordyne Inc. and White Rodgers, an Emerson Electri Co. division, fund the TRC. Homeowners can participate in the project by contacting their local municipal household hazardous waste authorities to find recycling locations or visit Earth 911's Web site, which lists household hazardous waste facilities via city or zip code.
GRANT: Product Stewardship Options for Mercury Thermostats ($15,000 FY03) COMPLETED
The goals of this project were to develop a Mercury Thermostat Action Plan to: 1) increase collection of mercury-containing thermostats by expanding the existing Thermostat Recycling Corp (TRC) program into retail and municipal locations and/or developing new collection programs for consumers; 2) increase awareness among consumers, retailers and municipal officials about non-mercury alternatives and safe end-of-life management options for thermostats and; 3) increase the collection rate of mercury
thermostats from heating, ventilation and air conditioning contractors into the current
TRC program. Additional information is available on the Product Stewardship Institute's website. 
Other Initiatives