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The average household in the United States has two televisions, and a lot of homes have a lot more than that! Televisions tend to have about an eight-year “useful life” in most homes before they are replaced. But what happens to these electronics at the end of their “useful life”?
The fact is that LED and LCD televisions might be a lot sleeker than the cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions that they’re replacing. The problem is that CRT televisions and computer monitors – the ones with the fat backs – are filled with lead glass and heavy metals, rendering them hazardous to leave in landfills.
Popping your CRT television in the trash is also not a great idea, and it might even be illegal in your area. Many old CRT televisions contain six pounds of lead and other harmful metals like cadmium, mercury, beryllium. For all of these potential dangers, many of the materials inside CRT televisions can be recycled into fresh products and household appliances.
Junk King and E-waste removal
Some have estimated the amount of CRT waste in households around the United States at five billion pounds. The amount adds up when you consider that many of these televisions were purchased decades ago and that millions of households have one or more stowed away in the basement.
Because you might have a very difficult time reselling an old television, you might want to consider Junk King as one convenient option. If your old television is a CRT television, then recycling might be problematic because the newer LCD and LED screens don’t use that kind of lead glass anymore.
(What’s more, there’s not much of a need in the recycling market for the kind of lead glass on offer with CRT technology.)
Two great options when you’re looking to get rid of your old television are contacting a certified vendor to find out more information on recycling or simply contacting Junk King. Junk King is a full-service junk removal company that allows you to pick a date and time with two-hour service windows. At Junk King, we take almost every imaginable kind of electronic waste, including:
- -Televisions
- -Computers
- -Monitors
- -DVD players
- -Printers
- -Copiers
- -Shredders
- -And much more!
Junk King can help to recycle or donate your old television for you. The latter option is a good one if your television is in working order since schools, non-profit organizations, and homeless shelters can all benefit from a usable television.
Recycling Old Televisions and Larger Electronics
The Consumer Electronics Survey conducted a study in 2014 and found that 46% of homes had at least one CRT television, which can likely be recycled. Although the lead glass is typically not prized very highly, the circuit boards inside contain copper and there’s likely some amount of gold, silver, and palladium inside larger electronics.
The first step that many recyclers will take when approaching an old television or monitor is separating the glass from the plastic casing. After removing the lead glass from the casing, the smaller parts may be shredded into more manageable pellets; then, optical sorters will separate the plastics inside from the valuable metals, such as gold and silver.
Earth911
The website Earth911 will allow you to find a local recycler in your area if you’re looking for e-waste removal of CRT televisions or CRT monitors in your area. The plastic, copper, and wood that compose your old television can be turned into new products or sold anew on the commodities market. Some buyers specialize in the circuit boards themselves and would be happy to put in a bid once your old television is recycled!
Electronics Retailers
More national electronics retailers, such as Best Buy, have their own recycling programs. The actual policies vary by state but typically Best Buy will take CRT televisions and CRT monitors that are 32 inches or less and LED televisions that have screens that are 60 inches or smaller. A retailer like Best Buy may still take your CRT television if it is over 32 inches, but there’s a different protocol.
If your television is very bulky, then Best Buy might have to pick it up from your home per e-waste removal. The pickup can come with a fee. Retailers like Best Buy might have a special policy whereby they will waive the fee and take a CRT television bigger than 32 inches from your home or workplace as long as you purchase a new television from Best Buy.
For small televisions and monitors, though, you can take the electronics to your local participating retailer and they will recycle them for you. Best Buy has a pretty generous policy whereby they will take up to three approved household appliances per day. (Best Buy is the single biggest retailer collector of e-waste, with over two billion pounds of e-waste and appliances taken to date.) Approved appliances include:
- -Televisions
- -Video game consoles
- -Audio equipment
- -Cell phones
- -Radios
- -Cameras
- -Car audio
- -And more!
Best Buy takes 400 pounds of products for recycling every minute that the Best Buy doors are open. Best Buy will take the approved electronic waste and household appliances irrespective of where it was purchased. Just remember that appliances that are very large (e.g., CRT televisions over 32 inches) may incur a pick-up fee under certain circumstances.
Junk King: One-stop Shop for E-waste removal
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that only 12 percent of e-waste is recycled, so there’s more work to be done. Junk King is North America’s number-one-rated junk removal company because of its commitment to keeping e-waste out of landfills. The plan is to recycle, repurpose, and reuse as much as possible.
At Junk King, we do all the heavy lifting. If you like, you can simply point and Junk King’s insured employees will haul away your old electronics. Junk King’s trucks are now 20% larger to handle even the biggest loads, so if you’re ready to get started call 1-888-888-5865 (JUNK), text a photo to 1-737-888-5865, or book online to save $20 on orders over $99!
