By Maria Prato-Gaines, Staff Writer
CRANBURY — Township officials really know the measure of a good event: free giveaways and a campaign to rid the community of a hazardous material.
That’s the idea behind the township’s upcoming free thermometer exchange event scheduled for early summer.
During the event, residents will have a two-hour window to exchange their mercury filled body temperature thermometers for free digital thermometers, said Linda Scott, recycling coordinator.
Although the Division of Solid Waste Management of the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders is sponsoring the event and has been since 2004, this will be its first trip to Cranbury, she said.
Since the program’s inception, Middlesex County residents have turned in approximately 2,900 mercury filled thermometers while the division has given out more than 4,200 digital ones, Ms. Scott said.
”Mercury is a hazardous substance,” she said. “These thermometers should be removed from the house. You’re better off bringing in an old one and getting a new one.”
These old-school thermometers haven’t been on the market since October 2005 when state passed legislation banning their sale.
The exchange is scheduled for June 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside of the municipal building’s Senior Center, 23A N. Main St.
For questions or more information on the exchange, contact Ms. Scott at 609-395-0900, ext. 229.

