While most major computer manufacturers have recycling programs in place, television makers aren’t doing quite as well:
With only three months to go until the digital TV conversion, the Electronics TakeBack Coalition (ETBC) today released its new TV Recycling Report Card, grading the major TV manufacturers on their efforts to establish national programs to take back and recycle their old TVs. More than half of the 17 companies ranked scored a failing “F” grade, because they have no recycling program in place. Sony received the highest grade, a B minus, with other companies scoring C’s and D’s.
The recycling vs. reuse / consumer vs. manufacturer responsibility debates are interesting and seem worth having. Just make sure you’re not throwing your TV in the garbage in the meantime! Here’s a good way to find your nearest electronics recycler (in the U.S.)
10 thoughts on “Taking back televisions”
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Wow, that’s a lot of TV’s :)
Those look more like monitors to me, and about 6 or so tvs.
We will not see a tidal wave of television sets heading to our landfills come February. Many homes have replaced their televisions already. The coupon program has placed set-top boxes in every grocery, discount store and most drug stores. The vast majority of American homes use subscription television to the extent that many teen-aged persons in my life were not aware you could still tune into television over the air.
Then there are people like me who watch a little Hulu, or maybe some Youtube, occasionally torrent a documentary or something wonderfully inane, but the actual television instrument is just sitting across the room collecting dust.
Even on the night of the American elections, I watched AJE and BBC over the computer and before I thought to turn on the television it was all over.
An interesting thought, however we definitely WILL see a tidal wave of television sets heading to the landfills in February for one simple reason:
Americans currently have 99 million TVs in storage (from an survey by the EPA). By far the most common reason to keep old TVs is that people plan on giving them to someone else in the future. With the digital conversion in February, most Americans will realize that those old, stored TVs will never be used – and they will be tossed out.
That’s why it’s so important to create these recycling programs now and ban the exportation of e-waste before February.
“…to take back and recycle their old TVs”
Hang on a second. I paid for it, it doesn’t support any DRM, I can open it and modify it without restriction or fear of the manufacturer suing me.
Who’s TV is this?
That’s right, that’s MY old TV.
It would be nice if there were a place to recycle it though.