County of Simcoe launches Mercury Roundup Program

The County of Simcoe is launching a Mercury Roundup Program at County Household Hazardous Waste drop-off locations.
Household items that contain mercury include thermostats, thermometers, button batteries, compact fluorescent light bulbs and fluorescent tube lighting. A fill list can be found at www.MercuryRoundup.ca/Simcoe.
The initiative, coordinated in partnership with Scout Environmental and funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, is designed to divert liquid mercury from the waste stream and landfills while educating residents about proper disposal of mercury products.
“The County is an environmentally conscious municipality with numerous programs aimed at educating and assisting residents to divert, sort and dispose of harmful materials the right way,” said Warden George Cornell. “We thank the Ontario Trillium Fund for their support and look forward to working with Scout Environmental to roll out this initiative at our drop-off locations.”
Although it occurs naturally, mercury is extremely dangerous. Exposure to even small amounts can cause serious health problems, with toxic effects on the nervous, digestive, and immune systems, and on lungs, kidneys, skin, and eyes. It can also contaminate soil and water and cause damage to our natural ecosystems. As such, proper handling and disposal are crucial when managing this type of waste.
For a complete list of mercury containing devises please visit the link to the mercury roundup page. As an added incentive, customers who bring in a mercury containing device to the County of Simcoe Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Depot will receive a FREE digital thermometer (one thermometer per customer per day while supplies last).
Mercury containing light bulbs and button cell batteries are not eligible for a free thermometer.
Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) can only be dropped off at designated County of Simcoe waste management facilities including the Nottawasaga Landfill site in Stayner, at 5715 County Road 64.
The County runs 20 diversion programs at its eight operating waste management facilities, including tires, shingles, scrap metal, leaf and yard waste, drywall, mattresses and more, which resulted in a 70 per cent diversion rate across our waste management facilities in 2018.
Visit simcoe.ca or contact Service Simcoe for more information on the program and facility locations at 705-735-6901, 1-800-263-3199 or service@simcoe.ca.