Old TVs can be recycled

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Waste Management is helping New Mexicans safely dispose of old televisions that are getting replaced in preparation for next week's transition to all-digital television broadcasts.

Full-power television stations next Friday will stop broadcasting their analog television signals, requiring viewers who receive television over the air to make sure their televisions are ready.

One of the options was to buy a new digital-ready television, but that left many people wondering what to do with their old one.

So Enchantment Recycling at 4121 Prospect Ave. NE, Suite B, is taking old televisions for Waste Management to recycle.

It's free to recycle Sony and LG televisions, because those two companies are sponsoring the program. Other televisions with 20-inch screens or smaller will cost $15, while larger televisions will cost $20 to recycle.

Waste Management spokesperson Joel Belding said old televisions are full of hazardous chemicals like lead and chromium, so recycling them is more responsible than throwing them in the landfill.

The company will take apart those televisions and send the materials to refineries for reuse.

Also, some electronics retailers will take old televisions for customers who buy new ones. They may charge a fee, but some will take them for free.

Aside from replacing old sets, antenna TV viewers have the option to subscribe to a pay television service like cable or satellite or buy a digital converter box to connect to older televisions. Recent televisions may already have a digital tuner.

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Also on the Web:

• Waste Management Electronic Recycling
• KRQE.com Digital Television Information