Earlier this week we discussed the
pros and cons of picking up a new digital tuner-equipped TV or simply throwing a DTV converter onto the analog set you already own. Needless to say, quite a few individuals across America will be choosing the former option, which creates quite the issue: where are all of those old sets going to go? Early on,
surveys showed that people were most likely to resell it, donate it or recycle it, but we all know how easy it is to utter the politically correct response when under the microscope. In reality, there's a great chance that a large quantity of analog TVs will end up in the dump, and officials are making an eleventh hour push to encourage individuals to recycle their screen rather than clog up a nearby landfill. Given that we live here too, we'd also like to encourage the act of recycling if you're planning on ditching the old for something new -- wouldn't want the
DTV conversion to be the start of the Apocalypse or something.
posted Dec 21st 2008 2:57AM
The problem with that is at every single one of these yearly recycling events that towns have the announce "Free Recylcling" from the rooftops and then list 50 things that they dont take or want you to pay $ 25 bucks to get rid of.
Quit trying to make money from us and just try to break even if you want to be so fracking green and noble.
Recycling is a business. If recycling was performed at a net loss, these people sure wouldn't be taking our crap any longer. noble or not. While grossly hazardous materials such as those found in CRT monitors and televisions are one thing that I staunchly believe should be properly disposed of at any cost (even if borne by the consumer), most recycling is pointless, maybe other than aluminum and tin which take more energy to create than to recycle. Everything else, especially paper, should just be tossed into the trash along with everything else. It's cheaper to produce new paper from wood pulp than to break down recycled paper back into something usable and the wood material mostly comes from renewable tree farms these days or forest thinning. The cost of going back to dumping everything is a boon to consumers and a load off of municipalities. We've got room for hundreds of thousands of years of trash . . . there was this Bullshit episode a while back that said something like 1000 years of U.S. trash and recyclables would fit in a 35 square mile area, piled up 200 feet high. That's a large space, but spread out across the U.S. that's minuscule. Actually, I'll stop talking, watch this episode of Bullshit. Entertaining and informative:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1444391672891013193
@catapult
You should've stopped talking after your first sentence.
Quote: "most recycling is pointless." Really?!? I could drive a car with my feet if I wanted to, but that doesn't make it a good f#$ing idea! No, we don't have to recycle, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't.
You also seem to forgot there are some 200 other countries besides the US. Think they don't have trash either?
Wow, I have that same exact TV.
While recycling TVs is a great idea, not all can get to a center, which pose a problem. Big city people can easily find out information to get to one, while rural citizens are left with no clue. If the government or the CECB wants us to recycle, they need to inform people about where to dump their old TVs.
In my county in Florida, they have a weekly pickup that moves around the county Saturdays; there is a chemicals/oil/paints collection but they also take old tv's and electronics.
Household Chemical Collection Program
Look it up for your town.
Here's an idea: install the infrastructure that easily allows consumers to recycle their sets and maybe they'll do it. Oh, and do it at least 18 months ahead of the switch.
You can plead with consumers all you want but unless you make the process easy (we're talking throw it on the curb with your trash, glass, newspaper etc.) you're not going to have very much success in this arena.
Oh, that is the Sony KV19TS20 pictured in the article! What a beautiful television that was! (Mine is now boxed up.)