How and where to recycle your old television

on June 22, 2009 at 6:50 PM, updated June 23, 2009 at 11:24 AM
Ivy grows on an old console television that has been abandoned at a television repair shop in Lexington, S.C.
Places to recycle

Best Buy is collecting TVs and other electronics at all of its store locations. They charge $10, but you're given a $10 gift card. They won't accept TVs with screens bigger than 32 inches.

Itran Electronics Recycling in Richfield accepts Samsung branded televisions for free. It also takes all other brands and sizes of TVs, but charges a $30 processing fee. They're at 4100 Congress Parkway West and can be reached at 330-294-0809.

Waste Management Inc. accepts Sony, LG, Zenith and Goldstar branded sets for free at Cuyahoga Regional Landfill in Solon. Other brands are accepted for a fee. The address is 6640 Cochran Road. They can be reached at 440-786-1300.

IT Scrap in Solon charges for recycling based on the size of the TV. A big screen TV costs $35 to recycle, while a set less than 20" is $15. In between sizes cost $30. They're located at 6111 Cochran Road and can be reached at 440-248-3991.

CLEVELAND -- Ready to toss that old, analog TV set out on your tree lawn?

You might want to think again. While it's legal to dispose of TVs with your regular trash in Ohio, environmental groups warn about the hazards.

When a TV is crushed in a landfill, harmful lead and mercury can seep into ground water, said Barbara Kyle, national coordinator for the Electronics Take Back Coalition, a group promoting electronics recycling.

Kyle said this month's transition to all-digital over-the-air television will likely send millions of old TVs into landfills. On top of that, cable and satellite customers were already dumping old TVs in favor of high-definition, flat-screen models.

"New technology is driving people to trash their old stuff," she said. "We see that in many product categories and we're seeing it quite a lot right now with TVs."

The Consumer Electronics Association, a trade group for the electronics industry, says manufacturers are on pace to sell 34.6 million TVs this year. That would be a 6 percent increase over last year, and a 24 percent increase over 2007.

Cristie Snyder, a spokeswoman for the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District, said she's gotten a lot of phone calls from people wondering how to dispose of their TV sets.

"While there's nothing stopping you from throwing your TV in the regular rubbish, you should certainly consider the alternatives," she said.

Here are some options:

Donate it

If your television set is in good working condition, you might consider donating it to a local charity. For a list non-profits near you that usually except televisions as donations, type in your zip code at Thrift stores, such as Goodwill or Salvation Army, will also often accept TV sets. But Snyder recommends calling ahead to make sure the organization could use the donation. She said many people likely have the same idea and some charities may be getting more television sets than they can handle.

Give it back

Several television manufacturers have "take back" programs, where they will completely subsidize the cost of recycling if you bought the TV from them. Sony, LG and Samsung have pick up locations for such programs in Northeast Ohio. Panasonic, Sharp and Toshiba have a combined recycling program, but don't have a local pick-up spot. The nearest are in Columbus and Wauseon in Fulton County.

Recycle it

Recycling hazardous electronics isn't cheap. So, if your TV manufacturer doesn't have a free recycling program, you can always pay to have it done. For a list of places that recycle TVs for a fee, type in your zip code at, a Web site created by the Consumer Electronics Association.

Kyle said to be wary of little-known recycling companies that may just be resellers. In some cases, they will sell to a broker that sends the hazardous waste to dumps in other countries after picking out any valuable metals. Kyle said recycling programs connected to a large, well-respected brand are more likely to be legitimate. Basel Action Network, a toxic waste watchdog organization, offers a list of electronics recyclers it endorses on its Web site,

Keep it, for now

If you can't find anywhere to donate your TV and don't want to pay to have it recycled, you may just want to hang onto it for now, Kyle said. Her organization is pushing more electronics manufacturers to start offering take back programs. So, your patience could be rewarded in the future. And, who knows, maybe the extra TV will come in handy. The sets can still be used as long as they are connected to cable, satellite or a digital converter box and antenna.