TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Obsolete TVs Out Of The Picture

ADVERTISEMENT

By RICHARD MULLINS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 5, 2008

Ah, the splendor of firing up that huge new HDTV you got for the holidays, or that spiffy new game console or cell phone.

But what about your old stuff? Did you cast off an old computer to the garage? An old cell phone into a drawer? What to do with it all? Trash it? Donate it? Recycle it?

It's no small problem.

Electronics companies keep speeding up the pace they introduce new models. The typical cell phone is now built to last just nine months, for example. Even super popular HDTVs now come as wireless models, meaning last year's units that require bulky wires to the cable TV box are oh, so last year.

All that progress is packing America's households with old electronics. More than 68 million TVs, 48 million VCRs, 83 million cell phones and 51 million computers, are now "unwanted," according to the most recent research by the Consumer Electronics Association. Even more old TVs likely will pile up as more people switch to bigger HDTV screens.

With that rising tide of obsolete gadgets, electronics experts warn there's a big risk that trashed electronics can leak dangerous chemicals into the air and drinking water. The average 30-inch tube TV contains 6 to 12 pounds of lead in the glass, plus mercury and other toxins in the circuit boards.

Trash and recycling experts say the solution is persuading Americans to make the right decisions about getting rid of their old electronics by donating or recycling them through a growing network of nonprofit organizations, special trash sites and mobile pickup events.

Some electronics makers, such as Sony, now take back their old electronics through a network of local recyclers.

Almost every week, Pinellas County sees more electronics show up at its collection sites. Until last week, the one-day record for TVs dropped off was 129. After Christmas, that record was broken twice in two days: 156 TVs came in one day.

"If the influx of televisions since Christmas is any indication of what we can expect for this year, we will probably approach another program record," said Deb Bush, operations manager in the county's solid waste department.

Pinellas is ramping up for an upcoming mobile collection at East Lake High School that could take in more than 48,000 pounds of TVs in six hours.

Still, there may be a long way to go. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that just 12.5 percent of electronics are offered for recycling, with much of the rest sent out with the garbage.

Reporter Richard Mullins can be reached at (813) 259-7919 or rmullins@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT