Digital Transition May Mean More Televisions At Recycling Depot
Posted
Tim Robertson-trobertson@timesuniononline.com
Sue Studebaker, director of the Kosciusko County Recycling Depot, said, in coming months, the depot could become a popular spot for area residents trying to get rid of their old televisions.
Feb. 17, 2009, is the date by which the Federal Communications Commission has ordered all television stations to cease broadcasting on their current analog channels and begin broadcasting digitally.That means television owners who use rabbit ears or outside antennae to pick up television signals will no longer be able to receive those signals. Instead, they will have to buy a converter to allow their televisions to pick up digital signals. Some will choose to get rid of their old sets in favor of newer ones with built-in digital tuners.
In the run-up to the February deadline, Studebaker said she expects the recycling depot to take in an increased volume of discarded television sets.
"We have seen an increase already," she said.
Studebaker said many discarded televisions make their way to the recycling depot because it is one of the safest, cleanest ways to dispose of them. Most televisions contain harmful materials.
"Every TV has at least four pounds of lead in them," Studebaker said. "Other chemicals are used as well. The plastics have fire retardant in them. It's a real problem."
Studebaker said some garbage services won't even collect a television left out on the curb. She said she expects local landfills to enact a total ban on televisions in the near future.
When televisions are brought to the KC Recycling Depot, the depot sends them to an electronics recycling company based in Chicago. There, the televisions and other electronics are dismantled and each part is recycled. It costs money for the depot to send the TVs to be recycled, and that cost is covered by a user fee of 15 cents per pound.
"We don't make any money on the discarded TVs," Studebaker said. "The fee just pays what it costs us to get them to the recyclers."
Studebaker said she cautions television owners submitting their sets for recycling not to try to dismantle the sets themselves. She said the tubes in the television sets can hold electric charge for months after they are removed from the TV. These tubes, she said, can explode.
"Don't take the tubes out," Studebaker said. "You're not saving much on the weight without them."
