Disposing old tvs: Television Recycling, Disposal & Pickup

Television Recycling, Disposal & Pickup

Everyone wants to get their hands on the latest and greatest technology when it comes to televisions. Of course, every time you upgrade your TV, you have to get rid of the old one. Getting rid of an old TV can be a bit difficult, especially if it’s a larger model that you can’t carry on your own. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? is in your city, ready to help take your old TV sets and any other junk you may have for us today!

• CRT Televisions
• LED or LCD TVs
• Plasma Televisions
• Flat Screen Televisions
• Rear Projection TVs
• Smart TVs
• 3D TVs
• Wall Mounts
• Cables And Connectors
• Battery Backups (UPS)
• DVD/Blu-Ray Players
• DirecTV Set-Top Boxes/Converters
• Internet TV Set-Top Boxes/Satellite Receivers
• In-Dash/Overhead DVD Players
• Portable DVD Players
• Portable TVs
• Portable Media Players
• Power Inverters
• Remotes
• Projectors
• Surge Protectors
• TV Antennas
• TiVO Boxes
• VCRs

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How our service works:

1. Schedule your appointment online or by calling 1-800-468-5865.
2. Our truck team will call you 15-30 minutes before your scheduled appointment window to let you know what time we’ll arrive.
3. We’ll take a look at the items you want to be removed and give you an all-inclusive price.
4. We’ll remove your items, sweep up the area, and collect payment once we’re done.

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Why choose 1-800-GOT-JUNK? to dispose of and recycle your old TV sets and accessories?

If you want to handle your old TV removal easily and responsibly but just don’t have the time to handle it on your own, give 1-800-GOT-JUNK? a call. We’ll come to your home, haul out your old TV, and ensure that it is properly disposed of or recycled whenever possible. You’ll save time and money, and you’ll feel good knowing that your television has been properly disposed of. We’re in your neighborhood—find a 1-800-GOT-JUNK? location near you.

How our pricing works

The final cost of your junk removal can vary depending on what we take, how much needs to be removed, and how much space it takes up in our trucks. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? is always happy to provide you with an onsite, no-obligation estimate, so don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. Click here to see our pricing

Recycling old TVs in an environmentally friendly manner

Old TV sets can be recycled but the process often may involve some legwork and careful consideration. Although it’s not a simple task to recycle, it is often easier and worth the trouble as compared to other alternatives.

Like many other electronic devices, TVs contain a variety of materials such as heavy metals, plastic, and other toxins like lead that can pose a serious pollution risk if not dealt with properly.

Recycling of TVs and other e-waste is required by law in 25 U.S. states, and in some states, TVs are banned from landfills entirely. Even if you face no legal consequences for tossing a TV into the trash, there are also practical and ethical reasons as to why recycling is a better option.

We take excessive caution so that we protect Earth’s climate and ozone layer during the process of disposing of your old LEDs and CRTs. You don’t have to carry, unplug, pack, clean up or do any heavy-lifting or physical work. We do it for you at your convenience. All you have to do is point and your old TV disappears.

You have a few options when it comes to getting rid of an old TV. 

1. Donate your TV. There are many local charities that accept televisions that still work. Keep in mind that you will probably need to drop it off on your own. 
2. Take it to a recycling facility. Depending on where you live, they may offer a pickup service. 
3. Return it to the manufacturer. Some companies offer to take old TVs back and recycle or refurbish them. Contact the manufacturer to see if your TV is eligible for this service. 
4. Sell it. If your TV still works and isn’t too old, you may be able to sell it to someone else. 
5. Give it away for free. Again, if your TV still works, you may be able to find someone to come pick it up for free.
6. Call a junk removal service, like 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, who can handle all the heavy lifting for you and ensure your old TV is disposed of or recycled responsibly.

Check out our guide on how to dispose of TVs for more support.

No, you should never throw an old TV in the trash. In fact, many garbage pickup services don’t pick up televisions, so it might not even be an option. Most old TVs also contain harmful chemicals and parts that need to be safely disposed of.

Yes, there are many components of a TV (inside and out) that can be recycled. To recycle your TV, you need to take it to a facility that is equipped to properly take the TV apart so that all the individual parts can be recycled.

TV recycling can also produce valuable materials that can easily be reused, including plastic, glass, copper wiring, and even precious metals. They can be used to create new products and can also help reduce the amount of resources needed for the production of new metals, glass, and plastic.

Like many other electronics, TVs contain chemicals that, if disposed of improperly, can damage our health and the environment. Responsible TV disposal, such as professional recycling, is important to prevent these chemicals from unnecessarily polluting the air and water.

Look for a local recycling facility that is equipped to handle TV recycling. E-cycling Central is a great resource that can help you find a recycling depot near you. Or, you can check to see if the manufacturer of your old TV has a recycling program. You can also call a professional junk hauling company like 1-800-GOT-JUNK? to come to take it away and recycle it for you.

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The Easiest Ways to (Properly) Get Rid of an Old TV

By

Elizabeth Yuko

PublishedMarch 13, 2022

Comments (4)

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Photo: Viktoriia Kotliarchuk (Shutterstock)

Our habits as consumers have changed pretty significantly over the past few decades, especially when it comes to electronics. Given how quickly the technology improves, it’s not surprising that some people want to constantly upgrade their electronic devices and items like TVs—even if that means getting rid of a perfectly functional older model.

But disposing of an unwanted TV is more complicated than simply putting it out on the curb with your weekly trash. For starters, many garbage removal companies won’t pick up discarded televisions, and some towns, counties, cities, and/or states also have rules against it.

Even if it is possible to throw a TV out with your regular trash collection, you may want to consider whether that convenience is worth the environmental impact of the electronic waste (aka “e-waste”) accumulating in landfills. According to a 2019 report from the United Nations Environmental Program, roughly 50 million metric tons of e-waste is produced around the world each year, and only about 20% of it is formally recycled.

Regional requirements and personal motivations aside, here are a few of the easiest ways to properly dispose of a TV.

Donate it

If your TV still works, donating it may be an option. Different thrift stores and charities have different rules, but look up donation guidelines for ones in your area to see if they accept televisions. If so, find out if they offer a pick-up service. This is one of the easiest ways of disposing of a TV, because someone else is (literally) doing the heavy lifting.

Sell it or give it away for free

Use social media, your neighborhood’s buy-nothing Facebook group, Facebook marketplace, a mass email to local family and friends, or another method of your choosing to let people know that your working TV is for sale or up for grabs. To make it as easy as possible for you, specify that the buyer/recipient must pick the TV up at your home (or wherever is most convenient for you).

Have the retailer recycle it

Depending on where you purchased your new TV, you may have the option of the store recycling your old TV. Check with the retailer for details, including whether the recycling service involves picking up the old one.

But regardless of where you purchased your new TV (or if you purchased a new one at all), you can take advantage of Best Buy’s electronics recycling program. According to the company, any of the chain’s retail locations in the United States and Puerto Rico will accept old, unused, or unwanted consumer electronics for recycling, no matter where they were purchased—up to three items per household per day.

Though in most cases, the recycling service at Best Buy is free, they do charge a fee to recycle some items. And if you did purchase a new TV from Best Buy and are having it delivered, they’ll haul away your old TV for $29.99.

Have the manufacturer recycle it

In some cases, TV manufacturers offer recycling services. You can find out if the one that made your TV does by looking up their policies directly, or using this chart compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Take it to an e-waste recycling facility

A quick online search of electronics disposal guidelines in your area should point you in the direction of a nearby e-waste facility, where you can drop off TVs and other unwanted electronics for recycling. If there isn’t one located in your city or county, check with neighboring areas that do have these facilities to see if they accept items from non-residents.

Bring it to an electronics disposal day in your community

If there’s not an e-waste facility in your area, there may be specific days (sometimes, a few each year) when residents are able to drop electronic items (including TVs) off at local fire or police stations or other community establishments for recycling. Again, you can always check to see if neighboring areas have e-waste recycling days, and if so, whether non-residents can take advantage of them as well.

Recycling and removal of old televisions, with kinesk, prices in Moscow

With the development of modern technologies, old televisions are already being replaced by new ones everywhere, allowing not only to see the picture on the screen, but to access the Internet, project the phone screen onto the TV screen, listen to audio books and much more. Along with this, the question arises – how to get rid of the old TV.

According to the current legislation of the Russian Federation, it is forbidden to dispose of old household appliances both in house waste containers and in general landfills. The correct and legal decision is to hand over the TV for recycling. This can be done by contacting ECOUMWELT. Utilization of TVs in Moscow is one of the services of our company.

Can you get rid of the TV yourself?

As already mentioned, in Russia there is a law “On production and consumption waste”, which regulates the handling of waste such as old household appliances, which include televisions. According to its standards, televisions as waste of the III class of danger must be disposed of without fail.

This is due to the fact that such equipment contains hazardous substances that, when oxidized or burned, can harm human health and the environment:

• lead;
• mercury;
• barium;
• strontium.

Therefore, it is forbidden to dispose of them in household waste containers, nor can they be taken to a regular landfill. Such equipment must be recycled and used as secondary raw materials, eliminating the risks of harm to human health and the environment. Throwing an old TV in a trash can is a violation of the law, which threatens with administrative or disciplinary punishment.

There are two ways to get rid of your old TV without breaking the law.

• The first is to take it to specialized tanks for receiving electro scrap, which should be in every district, thus transferring it for processing. The only drawback of this method is that you have to look for a tank closer to home or spend time transporting it.
• The second is to turn to specialized companies for which the disposal of TVs in Moscow is one of the services, for example, to the ECOUMWELT company. You can also order the recycling of monitors from us.

Hazardous parts of obsolete equipment

According to experts, old televisions, both kinescope and tube, contain a lot of elements that, when the conditions of use change, turn into a time bomb for the environment, releasing toxic substances. New models are also unsafe, the production of which also did not do without such elements, for example, mercury.

The most dangerous parts of TVs:

• kinescope, which contains strontium and barium, causing health problems, up to the development of cancer, therefore, such parts are not processed, but neutralized,
• body – usually made of plastic, they also pose a threat to the environment, since plastic releases harmful chlorine, dioxides, etc. into the atmosphere during combustion, which leads to problems in the upper respiratory tract in humans. The plastic case is not harmless also because, getting into a regular landfill, this material can lie for decades without decomposing, while poisoning everything around.
• LCD models are also dangerous due to their mercury content,
• metal – its share in old TV models is about 40%, therefore it is a valuable material for recycling and reuse. Some very old TVs also have inclusions of silver and gold,
• electronic circuit boards and wires are the most valuable parts in televisions, as they contain non-ferrous metals. The fasteners and boards themselves are also dangerous garbage.

Therefore, the correct disposal of TVs with a kinescope, lamp, LCD screen is, first of all, an investment in the environment and the health of future generations. In addition, it also enables recycling. For example, lamp models can be almost completely recycled using modern technologies and obtaining valuable materials for new products – metal, plastic, glass.

Where do they receive televisions?

You can use the services of ECOUMWELT to return your TV for recycling. Our experts will ensure the removal of equipment at a convenient time for you and provide the necessary documentation confirming the legality of the work. The price of recycling the TV is quite affordable. To apply for export, please contact our managers.

Where to take the old TV for recycling

Recycling of old TVs is an interesting topic, the study of which will allow you to easily get rid of outdated equipment without harm to the environment and human health. This article is devoted to where you can hand over a broken TV and at the same time benefit for yourself, how the process of recycling TV receivers takes place.

Contents

1. Why you shouldn’t throw it in a landfill
2. Where to take your TV for spare parts
3. Where to take your TV for recycling
4. Where to take your old TV for money
5. Sell
6. Pawn shop
7. Pawn through the recycling program
8. Take it to a scrap metal collection point
9. Take it for spare parts
10. Take it to a thrift store
11. Take it to companies
12. Recycling process

Why not throw it in a landfill

Important! Old, broken televisions should not be thrown into landfills due to the toxic compounds they contain. Of particular danger to the environment is the now discontinued TV with a kinescope.

Television receivers contain in their device such toxic substances and materials as:

1. Barium. Once in the body, this element has a spasmodic effect on the muscular system.
2. Strontium. As a rule, for the production of television and radio receivers, natural strontium is used, which does not have radioactive properties. Its negative impact on the human body can only be observed in conjunction with other diseases. So, for example, with a calcium deficiency and a lack of vitamin D, the ingress of strontium into the child’s body can provoke the so-called “strontium rickets”, etc.
3. Lead. It is also dangerous for the body. Can lead to anemia, malnutrition, kidney failure, etc.
4. Mercury. Mercury vapor negatively affects all human organ systems. If they enter the body in large doses, they can be fatal.
5. Plastics. In landfills, plastic TV sets can ignite easily. When burning plastic, a large amount of toxic compounds are released into the atmosphere: carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, etc. It has been established that a person will die within 30 minutes after breathing in such substances formed during the burning of plastic.

In addition to the possible negative impact of TV receivers thrown into landfills on human health, they have a negative impact on all other living organisms. In this regard, it is important to understand that the proper disposal of TVs, like other household appliances, is necessary.

Where to take your TV for spare parts

One of the ways to get rid of your old and unwanted TV set is to turn it in for spare parts. However, today it is unlikely that a used kinescope TV will be accepted somewhere due to the uselessness of its constituent parts. In such workshops or commission stores, they will rather take LCD, LED or plasma TVs. Spare parts such as: matrix, power circuit, IR receiver for the remote control can be useful.

But here you need to understand that for the delivery of your old TV device for spare parts, some large amount of money will not be offered. Although even a small monetary reward can be pleasant in this situation.

Where to take the TV for recycling

Today in our country, many large household appliances stores are developing a program for recycling old devices. The bottom line is that once or several times a year, different stores (Eldorado, DNS, Technosila, M.Video, etc.) hold a special promotion, according to which a person can bring his old device to the store and thus receive a discount on the purchase of new equipment.

Please note! Under this program, you can return an old TV to one of the previously mentioned stores, regardless of its condition (it doesn’t matter whether it is working or not).

Turning in a TV receiver through the recycling program, you can get a discount on the purchase of a new device up to 20%. What is not a rational solution to the problem of ridding yourself of an unnecessary TV?!

Where to sell your old TV for money

The best solution is to sell your TV for money. Consider all possible ways to convert an old TV set into money.

Sell

Selling a TV is perhaps the most convenient way to get rid of unnecessary equipment. A significant advantage of this method, of course, is the receipt of a good amount of money. However, keep in mind that the device must be in working condition, otherwise it will be more difficult to sell it. Used TVs are often bought by parents for their children, for example, in student dormitories, etc. For sale, you can use Internet resources, newspaper ads, etc.

Pawn shop

Not the best way to get rid of a TV set and make money. The device must be in excellent condition. But, even taking into account this condition, the price for the TV brought to the pawnshop will be low. Therefore, if its owner has time, it is better to look for more profitable ways to return the device in order to receive money.

Hand over under the recycling program

Using this method, the owner of an old and even non-working TV receiver will be able to receive not “real” money, but a discount on the purchase of new equipment in stores. More details about this method were described earlier (read the article on the disposal of household appliances in Eldorado).

Take it to a scrap metal collection point

There are such points in all even not very large cities. The TV, like many other household appliances, contains a certain amount of precious metals, which are valued at scrap metal collection points. However, the amount that can be offered for an old TV receiver is more likely to disappoint its owner.

Hand over for spare parts

This method of receiving a small amount of money for the return of non-working TVs was also written above.

Take it to a thrift store

You can try to get money for selling the device in a thrift store. Employees of such stores evaluate the equipment and put it up for sale at a set price. If a TV receiver is bought within a certain time, then its owner is paid a percentage in cash.

Hand over to companies

In major cities, there are companies that buy TV sets for recycling. You don’t have to puzzle over how to get the device out for a long time. Employees of companies remove equipment from homes or organizations and pay a certain amount of money to its owner for an unnecessary TV receiver. Then the purchased TVs are sent to recycling plants.

Recycling process

TV recycling is a process that takes place in several stages:

• sorting work;
• removing the contents of devices from plastic cases;
• disassembly of the device into separate parts;
• removing glass from kinescopes;
• extraction of metal elements and their sorting;
• preparation of plastic and metal fractions for further processing;
• sending to processing plants.

However, in our country there are a number of problems regarding the disposal, or rather, recycling, of used TVs. One of the main problems lies in the implementation of the recyclable materials obtained after the process of recycling electronic equipment.

Most of the components of recycled televisions are destroyed.

Plastic components, a small amount of glass and seized metals are sent for recycling. Recycled materials are used as secondary raw materials for the production of ceramic tiles and paving, bags, cement, glass products.

Raw materials obtained after disposal are rarely used in the recycling process in our country. Enterprises involved in the production of kinescopes, modern televisions, need to contribute a large amount of money in order to implement new technologies using raw materials obtained after processing TV receivers.

Japan is a good example of a country that fully recycles all types of waste. In the Land of the Rising Sun, all materials produced as a result of the TV recycling process are used. Therefore, Russia still has something to strive for!

How the process of recycling TV receivers, disassembling devices, sorting components using the example of one TV is filmed in this video.