Thermometers - Mercury

Mercury fever thermometers are glass and have about the same diameter as a drinking straw. The liquid inside appears black or silvery gray. This liquid is mercury.

Do not put mercury in the garbage or pour it down the drain, in the sewer, or on the ground. If you no longer want an item with mercury in your home, do not throw it in the garbage. In Minnesota, it is illegal to put a mercury thermometer in the garbage (Minnesota Statutes § 115A.932). Take to Anoka County Household Hazardous Waste Facility.

For more information about mercury, see Mercury.

Broken mercury thermometer? Do not put mercury in the garbage or pour it down the drain, in the sewer, or on the ground. For what to do next, call Anoka County Recycling & Resoure Solutions at 763-324-3400, Mon – Fri, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. or select "Cleaning up Spilled Mercury in the Home" from Fact sheets and how-to guides on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency website.

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