Thermostat Recycling Corp. announced that Johnstone Supply, Tower Equipment Co. Inc., and Johnson Supply Co. have been named the 2017 Big Man On Planet (BMOP) winners.

The annual competition among Heating Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Distributors International members recovered 370.946 pounds of mercury from collection bins during the contest period that ran from May 1-Oct. 31.

This year, 102 HARDI member distributors participated in the BMOP contest by sending in at least one bin from their more than 1,000-member locations nationwide.

“The HARDI membership commitment to recycling mercury in an environmentally safe manner is a testament to their concern for the environment and their commitment to high safety standards in the industry,” said Ryan Kiscaden, executive director of TRC. “Their participation is a front-line effort at keeping mercury out of the environmental stream.”

Kiscaden announced the winners of the BMOP competition during HARDI’s Annual Conference, Dec. 3, in Las Vegas.

Top Prize Winners

Most amount of mercury recycled overall (157.16 pounds) – Johnstone Supply.

Highest average amount of mercury recycled (12.3566 pounds) – Tower Equipment.

Highest participation rate for distributors with over 10 locations (92%) –  Johnson Supply

Top Three Branches for Recycling

Tower Equipment, Stratford, Connecticut (12.3566 pounds)

Johnstone Supply, Appleton, Wisconsin (6.6588 pounds)

Johnstone Supply, Columbus, Ohio (4.774 pounds)

Rock Star Awards

Awarded to companies that took the initiative to register before the signup deadline of June 30.

• Aireco Supply Inc.
• APR Supply Co.
• Auer Steel & Heating Supply
• Corken Steel Products Co.
• Crescent Parts & Equipment Co.
• Duncan Supply Co.
• Ferguson
• Gustave A. Larson
• GW Berkheimer Co.
• Harry Alter Co.
• Johnson Controls UPG Part Store
• Johnson Supply
• US Air Conditioning Distributors

MVP Award

The MVP award went to Aierco Supply Co. for its dedication and diligent commitment to the recycling efforts. They requested recycling reports on a biweekly basis and collected more than 11 pounds of mercury across 22 locations.

TRC was founded in 1998 as an industry-funded nonprofit to promote the safe collection and proper disposal of mercury-containing thermostats. Membership consists of 31 manufacturers who either branded and sold mercury thermostats in the U.S. prior to their discontinuation in 2007, or produce devices that may replace mercury-containing thermostats.

With a network of more than 3,400 collection sites nationwide, TRC has recovered more than 2.1 million thermostats, or 10 tons of mercury, to date.