Mercury Switch Out Program
The goal of the program is to eliminate mercury from vehicles before it can get into the environment when vehicles are scrapped. This can be easily accomplished by replacing the convenience light mercury switches found under hood and trunk lids with non-mercury switches. The tangible results from the program will be used to encourage the US automotive industry to eliminate of the use of mercury switches in the manufacture of new vehicles as well as to ask auto recycling and wrecking yards to remove mercury switches before vehicles are crushed.
Auto Repair Facilities Role
Auto repair and collision shops in the Oregon interested in participating in the statewide program must simply agree to begin replacing mercury switches in identified vehicles free of charge. When the motorist has their vehicle serviced the technician will replace the mercury switch with a ball bearing switch and dispose of the switch in a special receptacle. Shops will also distribute information about the impact mercury has on the environment and their decision to have the mercury switch replaced. Mercury Switches will be picked up from auto repair facilities by local parts store delivery trucks.
Q. What Cars contain mercury?
A. Click here for the List of cars that contain Mercury Switches.
Q. How are the switches replaced?
A. The entire lighting assembly is removed from the hood and trunk lid of the vehicle. It is replaced with an identical lighting assembly that contains the replacement switch. Two screws and one snap on connector are removed to free the existing lighting assembly and it takes less than one minute to install the replacement lighting assembly. A technician does the lighting assembly replacement.
Q. Will the switch change damage the motorist's car?
A. No. Hundreds of these switches have already been successfully changed without incident or complaints of malfunction. General Motors has also been using the identical ball-bearing replacement switch in the new model year vehicles.
Q. How much Mercury will be collected by the program?
A. The program goal is to collect 10,000 switches from 5,000 cars (2 per car, trunk & hood lids). One hundred (100) pounds of Mercury will be collected and recycled if the program goal is met.
Q. What will happen to the Mercury that is collected?
A. The automotive mercury switches collected from the program will be sent to an appropriate recycling facility.
Click here for a list of Mercury Switch-Out Participants
For more information about the Mercury Switch Program Contact NATA or EcoBiz
