What can I do with mercury that spilled out of a broken thermometer?

I have mercury from an old thermometer of glass and it broke spilling out the mercury into a dish. I have kept it there. How can I dispose of this mercury properly and safely?

Answers:
You may do best by calling the NON-EMERGENCY line at your fire department and asking advice from the haz-mat person there. Do not wash it down the drain and do not allow children near the spill.

Take it to your local fire dept.

But be warned, you're opening up a huge can of worms by doing so.
Contact your local fire department (non-emergency number) or your local health department. I would try the fire department first. Ask them the question. They should know what to do.
Just feed it to the cat..
clean it up and throw it away
mercury is deadly poison to living things- contain it and give it to the fire dept.
Certainly cover the dish. The "Mad Hatter" got his name because he used mercury to clean felt hats.

Disposal is usually a county/state thing. I would contact you local authorities.
How big was this thermometer? Seriously, we all apreciate the hazards of Mercury entering the ecosystem, but one tiny tube's worth of Mercury will not destroy your local fishing industry.

Some of these answers are so over-the-top, it's ridiculous.

If you wan't to call your local fire department you can, but you'll wasting their time.

Just pour the mercury into a small plastic bottle and then wrap that bottle in several layers of closed plastic bags, and then dispose of it with the rest of your garbage.
oooo put it up ur big fat bum, u sexy beast.
call the fire department non emergency number
Clean up with a paper towel, put towel into a plastic container, screw the top back on and put in refuse. Should you have access to kitty litter, mud or clay--place this into bottle before tossing into trash.
In reality, the amount of mercury in a thermometer is so small, when it hits a hard surface it will bead itself off into *non-existence*, which it would have done spilling into your dish. Still have dish--then use a plastic bag with the above mentioned congealing material to contain it in the garbage.
Plastic bottle degrade in the landfills which would release it into the ground eventually. Call the Fire Department and see what they have to say.
drink it
Put it in a leak proof tin and close the tin and seal the tin so it doesn't leak then label tin Mercury and mail it away to an Thermometer making company and they will reuse that mercury in a thermometer. I did exactly that once and unexpectedly I got a free thermometer
from the Company. It was Aries Thermometer manufacturer company.. I think that company is out of business now! You could try Honey Well! Recycling items is always better than merely tossing them out!
This is one of the most intelligant questions I have read all night.
Most of the large cities have enviromental health departments.
Even calling your Drs. office might be a great source for this issue. I really appreciate your question and concern for our Earth!
contact your fire department, mercury can do lots of harm
call 911 right now and keep all children away from it, it could be deadly
Well make sure you have it all up and you didnt misplace any of it becuase if you leave it in a home or a room for so long it will get in to the air and over along period of time could harm you and oh make sure that the place where you keep it is tightly closed and after that i would simply just call the fire dept and ask them they will defently know what to do with it
i have no clue but i admire the fact that you care enough to try to find out. thumbs up to you
Wipe it...or roll it around. Ha-ha
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