Get Rid of that Old TV Safely

We have often discussed in this space the importance of disposing of obsolete or unwanted electronic appliances in a responsible manner. Since many of these devices are made up of components containing some very bad things for the environment and our collective health, pitching out that old Sony with yesterday’s dinner scraps for the Rumpke guy to haul away is not a very good idea.

For those of us who live in Hamilton County, there is now an new option. The Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District opened the 2009 Computer and TV Recycling Drop-Off service on May 1st. The program will run Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm through the end of the year. Hamilton Country residents who are unable to come during the week will be able to drop off computers and TVs on a few select Saturdays this year (June 13, August 8, and October 10 from 9am to 2pm).

The drop-off site this year is 11093 Kenwood Road, Building #7, Blue Ash, Ohio 45242.

Residents can drop off all computer equipment for no charge. Residents dropping off TVs, however, will be charged $10 for TVs weighing under 60 lbs and $20 for over 60 lbs. If you have a Sony, Zenith, LG, or Goldstar TV, these will be accepted for no charge through the Sony’s funded “take back” program.

Now, this particular program is open only to Hamilton County residents. You need to bring proof of residency such as a driver’s license or utility bill. More information about the program is available at their website at http://www.hcdoes.org/SWMD/Residents/CompElec.html.

There are other options available in the area. Best Buy has a program that will allow you to recycle certain appliances for a nominal charge. They have some restrictions on the screen size and number of items that will be accepted. Before lugging that TV or computer to the store you may wish to call or go to the Best Buy website, http://www.bestbuy.com/. Search for “recycling.”

For sure, getting rid of these items is becoming a bit of a hassle. The importance of doing it right and safely more than outweighs any inconvenience or modest cost.

Get Rid of that Old TV Safely

We have often discussed in this space the importance of disposing of obsolete or unwanted electronic appliances in a responsible manner. Since many of these devices are made up of components containing some very bad things for the environment and our collective health, pitching out that old Sony with yesterday’s dinner scraps for the Rumpke guy to haul away is not a very good idea.

For those of us who live in Hamilton County, there is now an new option. The Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District opened the 2009 Computer and TV Recycling Drop-Off service on May 1st. The program will run Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm through the end of the year. Hamilton Country residents who are unable to come during the week will be able to drop off computers and TVs on a few select Saturdays this year (June 13, August 8, and October 10 from 9am to 2pm).

The drop-off site this year is 11093 Kenwood Road, Building #7, Blue Ash, Ohio 45242.

Residents can drop off all computer equipment for no charge. Residents dropping off TVs, however, will be charged $10 for TVs weighing under 60 lbs and $20 for over 60 lbs. If you have a Sony, Zenith, LG, or Goldstar TV, these will be accepted for no charge through the Sony’s funded “take back” program.

Now, this particular program is open only to Hamilton County residents. You need to bring proof of residency such as a driver’s license or utility bill. More information about the program is available at their website at http://www.hcdoes.org/SWMD/Residents/CompElec.html.

There are other options available in the area. Best Buy has a program that will allow you to recycle certain appliances for a nominal charge. They have some restrictions on the screen size and number of items that will be accepted. Before lugging that TV or computer to the store you may wish to call or go to the Best Buy website, http://www.bestbuy.com/. Search for “recycling.”

For sure, getting rid of these items is becoming a bit of a hassle. The importance of doing it right and safely more than outweighs any inconvenience or modest cost.

What To Do With All That Junk

There has been a lot in the news of late about all the debris floating above our heads. No I don’t mean the rhetoric from Washington, I mean all the space junk that is orbiting our planet. Just a week or so ago, the astronauts aboard the International Space Station had to hunker down in a capsule until a piece of a discarded rocket engine passed perilously close to the station traveling at some 22,000 mph. It seems that what goes up does come down, but in space terms it may take a while. Apparently our near-earth cosmic space is getting very crowed with junk. Just like the NASA guys who need to do a better job of handling our space trash disposal, we earthbound consumers need to do the same.

One of the most worrisome categories of trash is the mountain of obsolete consumer electronic devices that get pitched every day. TVs, cell phones, home computers, ipods VCRs and many other devices with power cords or batteries get sent to the curb for Mr. Rumpke.

Gone are the days when you bought a TV or radio and used it for years, taking it in for repair when needed. Today some people replace cell phones in order to get one that matches the color of their socks. Others must have the latest and greatest. “My phone is newer and smaller than your phone….nya! nya! nya! nya! nya!”

Even in this stressed economy, we are not likely to change our consumption habits. We should however change our disposal habits. Electronic devices and the batteries that power them contain some very bad stuff. Arsenic, mercury, lead and heavy metals are not things we want to pitch into land fills.

There are safe options that everyone should consider when disposing of these items. Some will cost a few dollars but this expense is more than justified by the long term benefit to the planet and all who live here.
In an effort to handle the increased number of TV sets being retired because of the digital transition, the Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District will conduct a TV recycling event from May 1 - December 30, 2009 for residents of Hamilton County, Ohio. The TV Recycling Program will be incorporated with the computer recycling program. Recycling computer equipment will continue to be free. Recycling TVs will have the following charges associated: 60 lbs or less, $10/TV; over 60 lbs, $20/TV.There are several other options for area residents wanting to responsibly dispose of unwanted electronic items. You can call the Solid Waste District at 513-946-7766 or better yet go to the web site where they list several places that will take your old equipment. Some of them will take the items for free. For example, Best Buy stores will take some old TV’s and other items like cell phones and batteries.

What To Do With All That Junk

There has been a lot in the news of late about all the debris floating above our heads. No I don’t mean the rhetoric from Washington, I mean all the space junk that is orbiting our planet. Just a week or so ago, the astronauts aboard the International Space Station had to hunker down in a capsule until a piece of a discarded rocket engine passed perilously close to the station traveling at some 22,000 mph. It seems that what goes up does come down, but in space terms it may take a while. Apparently our near-earth cosmic space is getting very crowed with junk. Just like the NASA guys who need to do a better job of handling our space trash disposal, we earthbound consumers need to do the same.

One of the most worrisome categories of trash is the mountain of obsolete consumer electronic devices that get pitched every day. TVs, cell phones, home computers, ipods VCRs and many other devices with power cords or batteries get sent to the curb for Mr. Rumpke.

Gone are the days when you bought a TV or radio and used it for years, taking it in for repair when needed. Today some people replace cell phones in order to get one that matches the color of their socks. Others must have the latest and greatest. “My phone is newer and smaller than your phone….nya! nya! nya! nya! nya!”

Even in this stressed economy, we are not likely to change our consumption habits. We should however change our disposal habits. Electronic devices and the batteries that power them contain some very bad stuff. Arsenic, mercury, lead and heavy metals are not things we want to pitch into land fills.

There are safe options that everyone should consider when disposing of these items. Some will cost a few dollars but this expense is more than justified by the long term benefit to the planet and all who live here.
In an effort to handle the increased number of TV sets being retired because of the digital transition, the Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District will conduct a TV recycling event from May 1 - December 30, 2009 for residents of Hamilton County, Ohio. The TV Recycling Program will be incorporated with the computer recycling program. Recycling computer equipment will continue to be free. Recycling TVs will have the following charges associated: 60 lbs or less, $10/TV; over 60 lbs, $20/TV.There are several other options for area residents wanting to responsibly dispose of unwanted electronic items. You can call the Solid Waste District at 513-946-7766 or better yet go to the web site where they list several places that will take your old equipment. Some of them will take the items for free. For example, Best Buy stores will take some old TV’s and other items like cell phones and batteries.

A Place To Recycle CLF's

A while back I discussed the need to be careful when disposing of electonic "trash." The Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District emailed today to let me know that ALL Home Depot stores now accept used Compact Fluorescent Lights (CLF’s) for recycling!

Here are the details excerpted from a press release.

The Home Depot®, launched a national in-store, consumer compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb recycling program at all 1,973 The Home Depot locations. This free offers customers additional options for making environmentally conscious decisions from purchase to disposal. The Home Depot Canada launched a CFL recycling program in November, 2007.
At each The Home Depot store, customers can simply bring in any expired, unbroken CFL bulbs, and give them to the store associate behind the returns desk. The bulbs will then be managed responsibly by an environmental management company who will coordinate CFL packaging, transportation and recycling to maximize safety and ensure environmental compliance.

A Place To Recycle CLF's

A while back I discussed the need to be careful when disposing of electonic "trash." The Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District emailed today to let me know that ALL Home Depot stores now accept used Compact Fluorescent Lights (CLF’s) for recycling!

Here are the details excerpted from a press release.

The Home Depot®, launched a national in-store, consumer compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb recycling program at all 1,973 The Home Depot locations. This free offers customers additional options for making environmentally conscious decisions from purchase to disposal. The Home Depot Canada launched a CFL recycling program in November, 2007.
At each The Home Depot store, customers can simply bring in any expired, unbroken CFL bulbs, and give them to the store associate behind the returns desk. The bulbs will then be managed responsibly by an environmental management company who will coordinate CFL packaging, transportation and recycling to maximize safety and ensure environmental compliance.

Think Before Pitching It In The Trash

It has been widely reported that during 2008 more than 32 million new digital TVs will be purchased by consumers in the US. One of the driving forces behind this trend is the looming February 2009 analog cut off date. On Tuesday, February 17th at the stroke of midnight, most of the TV stations in the US will cease broadcasting using analog technology and rely totally on digital broadcasting. Unless you have purchased converters or are connected to cable or a satellite service, your old TVs will not work. With this in mind, many either have already opted to get a new TV or will soon purchase one.

In the past when most people bought a new TV they seldom pitched out the old one. If it was still working it ended up in the kid’s room or in the basement family room. Since without a converter the old TVs will be useless, the prediction is that many will end up on top of “ole” Rumpke.

And it is not just TV’s that add to this “techno junk.” With consumers replacing cell phones about as often as they get a haircut, many of us have a drawer in the kitchen brimming with old cell phones, AC adapters, car chargers and hands free head sets. All of which we don’t use anymore. There are usually a bevy of various size batteries that have been removed from a device because they were dead. I am not sure why we put them in the drawer. I guess we are thinking that they might just come back to life some day. Fat chance.

The fact is that we all amass a tremendous amount of electronic junk. The stuff, long ago state of the art and awesome to use, is now useless. That same awesome junk is filled with some very nasty stuff. To send it to Mt. Rumpke is to release lead and other heavy metals, and some chemicals like arsenic and other poisons, into our environment. Not a good thing.

So with all this stuff filling up our junk drawer and basements, what are we to do? First there are some simple ways to properly and safely dispose of cell phones and batteries. Stores like Best Buy® have bins at the entrance of the store that accept old phones and batteries. So take those items out of that kitchen drawer, put them in the back seat of your car and the next time you are near a Best Buy®, deposit them in the bins.

Some of the larger items pose more of a challenge. Companies like Dell® offer to take back your old computer free of charge when you purchase a new one. Some newer “old” computers are accepted by some non profit organizations. For example, Crayons to Computers, the free store for teachers, has a program with Cincinnati Computer Cooperative to take relatively new models. You can contact them on line at their web site www.cincinnaticomputercooperative.org . If your computer equipment is not usable, Hamilton County residents can bring it to a special recycling depot. For more information call 946-7766 or go on line to www.hamiltoncountyrecycles.org . You can use this web site to search for places that will accept most any household refuse that should not be mixed with regular trash or garbage at the curb.

I also found out that The Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District is very aware of the Feb. 2009 analog shut off and will be planning a TV recycling event either this fall or next spring or both. They promised to let me know the dates and I will pass them on in a future column.

Finally, when you purchase a new TV or other major appliance be sure to ask if the retailer offers to remove the old one and dispose of it in an environmentally safer manner.

Think Before Pitching It In The Trash

It has been widely reported that during 2008 more than 32 million new digital TVs will be purchased by consumers in the US. One of the driving forces behind this trend is the looming February 2009 analog cut off date. On Tuesday, February 17th at the stroke of midnight, most of the TV stations in the US will cease broadcasting using analog technology and rely totally on digital broadcasting. Unless you have purchased converters or are connected to cable or a satellite service, your old TVs will not work. With this in mind, many either have already opted to get a new TV or will soon purchase one.

In the past when most people bought a new TV they seldom pitched out the old one. If it was still working it ended up in the kid’s room or in the basement family room. Since without a converter the old TVs will be useless, the prediction is that many will end up on top of “ole” Rumpke.

And it is not just TV’s that add to this “techno junk.” With consumers replacing cell phones about as often as they get a haircut, many of us have a drawer in the kitchen brimming with old cell phones, AC adapters, car chargers and hands free head sets. All of which we don’t use anymore. There are usually a bevy of various size batteries that have been removed from a device because they were dead. I am not sure why we put them in the drawer. I guess we are thinking that they might just come back to life some day. Fat chance.

The fact is that we all amass a tremendous amount of electronic junk. The stuff, long ago state of the art and awesome to use, is now useless. That same awesome junk is filled with some very nasty stuff. To send it to Mt. Rumpke is to release lead and other heavy metals, and some chemicals like arsenic and other poisons, into our environment. Not a good thing.

So with all this stuff filling up our junk drawer and basements, what are we to do? First there are some simple ways to properly and safely dispose of cell phones and batteries. Stores like Best Buy® have bins at the entrance of the store that accept old phones and batteries. So take those items out of that kitchen drawer, put them in the back seat of your car and the next time you are near a Best Buy®, deposit them in the bins.

Some of the larger items pose more of a challenge. Companies like Dell® offer to take back your old computer free of charge when you purchase a new one. Some newer “old” computers are accepted by some non profit organizations. For example, Crayons to Computers, the free store for teachers, has a program with Cincinnati Computer Cooperative to take relatively new models. You can contact them on line at their web site www.cincinnaticomputercooperative.org . If your computer equipment is not usable, Hamilton County residents can bring it to a special recycling depot. For more information call 946-7766 or go on line to www.hamiltoncountyrecycles.org . You can use this web site to search for places that will accept most any household refuse that should not be mixed with regular trash or garbage at the curb.

I also found out that The Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District is very aware of the Feb. 2009 analog shut off and will be planning a TV recycling event either this fall or next spring or both. They promised to let me know the dates and I will pass them on in a future column.

Finally, when you purchase a new TV or other major appliance be sure to ask if the retailer offers to remove the old one and dispose of it in an environmentally safer manner.

"Techno Junk" ... A Real Problem

Below is a very thoughtful comment relating to my post regarding battery operated DTV converters.

Well – the time has come for a non-techie such as myself to ask a few (environmental) questions:

What’s a person to do with all the outdated “techno-stuff” that now resides in our basements and closet shelves across the USA? Perhaps now is the time to use your blog to GO Green and help us know what to expect before we fling out buttons, screens and knobs to the wind. What is the best way to dispose of TVs and other outdated broadcast delivery devices? What will be happening to our nearest landfill when the sets begin to decompose? Is there a proper way to say farewell to our old rabbit-eared friends with the advent of new digital arrivals. And why should we care?

The author has some very good questions and I promise to spend some time in the next few months addressing these very serious issues. Since the comment was posted anonymously I can only thank him or her via this post and hope that it gets read.

"Techno Junk" ... A Real Problem

Below is a very thoughtful comment relating to my post regarding battery operated DTV converters.

Well – the time has come for a non-techie such as myself to ask a few (environmental) questions:

What’s a person to do with all the outdated “techno-stuff” that now resides in our basements and closet shelves across the USA? Perhaps now is the time to use your blog to GO Green and help us know what to expect before we fling out buttons, screens and knobs to the wind. What is the best way to dispose of TVs and other outdated broadcast delivery devices? What will be happening to our nearest landfill when the sets begin to decompose? Is there a proper way to say farewell to our old rabbit-eared friends with the advent of new digital arrivals. And why should we care?

The author has some very good questions and I promise to spend some time in the next few months addressing these very serious issues. Since the comment was posted anonymously I can only thank him or her via this post and hope that it gets read.