In February, television broadcasting will convert from analog signals to digital. Some people are handling that changeover by adding converter boxes to their old sets to continue receiving the free transmissions they’ve enjoyed over the air. Great!
Others are using the changeover as an opportunity or excuse for upgrading to sleek, new, digital TVs that won’t require converter boxes, so it will be out with the old and in with the new. The question is, what is the out-with-the-old plan? Disposing of old television sets will take some thoughtful planning by every household involved.
Over the years, we’ve seen the extent of short-term planning in the form of castoffs littering alleys, vacant lots, curbsides and fouling the waters ways. None of these methods has ever been a good choice for disposal. Doing so creates a health and safety hazard for the neighboring communities and beyond.
Televisions contain lead. Because of the dangers of lead, many municipalities have banned TVs from landfills altogether. These old TV sets contain up to eight pounds of lead, which is there to provide a safety shield to protect the user from radiation emitted by the television. But when the TV gets crushed in the landfill, the lead spills out and leaches into the soil and air. This is not a good thing. The lead is poisonous and can cause irreversible nerve damage if ingested.
While the changeover does not occur until February, it is a good idea for certain procrastinators I know to begin thinking now about how you will direct the next life of the television set you no longer want.
If the TV is old but works on all channels, it would be welcome by nonprofit stores that can resell them affordably to others, possibly affording you a tax deduction for its value. Do clean it up first. However, if the set is nonfunctioning, do not burden the nonprofits with the junk. They neither have the staff, money nor expertise to put into repairing broken electronics or disposing of them for you.
If you are buying a new TV, many electronic retail stores will remove your old, obsolete television from your home at no charge when they deliver the fabulous, new flat-screen you bought from them. The old set is handled by either the store or one of its recycling partners, who will take it away to be dismantled, separating the glass, metals and other parts for safe recycling or disposal. If a new television is in your cards, it would be a good idea to first ask the retailer if they will pick up your old set. If you are not using home delivery but taking the new set home from the store yourself, this pickup service may not be available.
As you search around your community and the Web for responsible ways and locations for disposing of your unwanted television, be aware there are some not-so-nice recycling firms out there. Some charge a big chunk of change to take the TV off your hands only to send it directly to an unsuspecting market overseas. That fee you forked over paid the shipping charges and then some.
Visit the Environmental Protection Agency on the Web (www.epa.gov) for a list of electronic recycling companies in your area. I’ll tell you now, my initial research turned up a lot of noise and no substance. There does not appear to be very much in Maryland and a lot of those sites that pop up through a Google or Yahoo search are portals for services that have nothing to do with “How do I safely dispose of my TV.” So, I’m still looking.
Meanwhile visit www.Earth911.org and. Electronic Industries Alliance at www.eia.org to find helpful information on recyclers and recycling your old TV.
