Recently, I was cleaning out my basement and discovered that I have five old TVs that either no longer work or won’t work without a receiver. Since I don’t have a cable provider that utilizes receivers, three of the TVs are unusable except for watching DVDs. I decided to search the internet and see where I could take the TVs to be disposed of safely, since according to the EPA, electronic waste contains hazardous materials like lead, mercury and hexavalent chromium, in circuit boards, batteries and color cathode ray tubes (CRTs). In other words, you can’t take them to the landfill because they won’t accept them. Finding a place where I could dispose of my old TVs safely turned out to be quite a chore. Since I had such a hard time, I thought I would share my findings to help someone else that has TVs that need to be disposed of.
In my search, I discovered that many of the online sites were defunct businesses, businesses that no longer dealt in the disposal of toxic material, or businesses that were too far away to be of help to me. I did find out that WE Electronics Recycling in Bellaire, Ohio takes them for a $15 fee. However, Best Buy takes them for free up to 31 inches. They will take larger than 31 inches for a $20 fee. If you buy a new TV, they will take the old one away for free. Here is a list of what they recycle. The only downside is that Best Buy only takes three items per day, so I will need to make two trips on two different days. I have one that I have to pay for, but I consider it a small price to pay to have a clean, clutter free basement. I hope this helps!
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