April 27, 2017 — Mercury poses a dangerous threat to people and the environment, and northeastern Massachusetts has been tainted by higher-than-normal levels of the heavy metal. Those of us who live here — let alone catch and eat fish here — depend on efforts to contain the toxic element – including by making sure old thermostats, fluorescent bulbs and similar products don’t wind up in landfills.
But with shared interest comes shared responsibility, and none of us should need a financial reward to do the right thing for ourselves, each other or the environment.
That’s the suggestion of some green groups, however, when they criticize Massachusetts’ law on mercury disposal and an industry-organized effort to collect devices that contain the metal.
They point to incentives required by other New England states that force makers of thermostats and light bulbs to offer rewards to consumers and contractors to recycle old mercury products. In Maine, the rebate is $5.
Those programs come at a cost, either for the state and taxpayers or for manufacturers. And they don’t move the needle of recycling, according to industry representatives. It’s hard to imagine such small rebates swaying enough people to make a difference.
A spokesman for the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, in media reports when Massachusetts updated its mercury law two and a half years ago, derisively called the payments a “bounty.”