Buying a new TV often means that you will be looking for a new home for your old set, but if you’re eco-conscious then you shouldn’t be taking your old TV to the nearest skip. Today, we look at how recyclable TVs are, how best to dispose of them and what happens to your TV during the recycling process.
Where Is Your Personal Information Stored?
Before you even consider ditching your TV, you may need to ask yourself about how much of your personal information could be stored on there. If you have ever paid for a service using your Smart TV, the information you put into the TV could still be stored there. Even if your TV is broken, tech-savvy hackers could still retrieve it from your set.
For this reason, if you are renewing any subscriptions to apps on your Smart TV, you should avoid doing it through the app on the TV. If you have already put your sensitive information on your old TV, however, you might want to look at secure data erasure for your peace of mind when you dispose or recycle your TV.
What Happens When I Take My TV To Landfill
Using landfill sites is not a permanent solution for waste and we should all collectively try to recycle our belongings where possible. TVs contain many toxic compounds which have important uses during the TV’s life span – such as flame retardants on the circuit boards and some LCDs still contain mercury in their cold-cathode fluorescent lamps. These toxins have had uses in our TVs, but they also mean that you need to take great care when disposing of it.
It is also best to avoid adding to the landfill where possible because these sites have negative effects on the planet. Toxins from products leak out into the surrounding ground and can also create problematic greenhouse gases that interfere with the ozone layer. When you send your TV to landfill, you are leaving a mess for future generations to clean up, as well as causing problems for the Earth now.
In 2007, only 18% of television sets were recycled in America, whereas a report by the Telegraph in 2017 stated that Briton’s, on average, dispose of between 20kg-25kg of e-waste every year. Some of this will be TVs, and most of it goes to landfill – but we can recycle TVs to reduce this waste.
Where Can I Recycle My TV?
There are plenty of places to recycle your TV; some shops will take your old electrical appliances away for recycling, but you can also check with your local council. You may also be able to send your product to a commercial recycling company.
How Much of My TV Is Recyclable?
When you hand over your TV for recycling, the first thing that will be checked is to see whether it is still usable. If it is still in a working condition, then the chances are that there will be someone out there who could benefit from it. If your television is broken, then it may also be diagnosed to see if it is possible to repair it and then to put it back in public use.
If your TV is beyond repair, then it will be broken down for parts. Precious metals such as gold will be stripped from your TV to be used in a new product. Recyclable plastics are also collected for recycling into products such as water bottles. Your TV won’t be recycled on its own though, it will go through the same process as other electrical equipment like mobile phones, toasters and games consoles. First, any dangerous toxins are removed, then the rest of the equipment is smashed up and sorted by machines.
The video below gives an insight towards some of the processes behind the electrical recycling process that your TV will undergo if you send it to a recycling plant.
What Else Can I Do?
Rather than simply recycling your TV, you could try taking the old one to charity instead of sending it to landfill. Protecting the Earth is all about treating your belongings with greater respect – this means understanding the efforts taken to extract all the individual materials that make up your television like mining for gold and copper to be used in circuit boards, extracting oil for the plastic frames, and refining the glass for your ultra-thin screens. Your TV is valuable for more than just Netflix.
If you’re looking for eco-friendly cheap TVs that have a long life span, our range of TVs are all tried and tested with longevity in mind. All of our TVs come with a 12-month ‘return to base’ guarantee unless stated otherwise, which highlights our confidence that all of our TVs are of the highest standard.
