Since television arrived in our homes in the 1950s, it quickly replaced radio, books, and the stick and hoop as a means to inform, entertain, and even educate people all around the world. Since the earliest TVs, the concept has changed little--it brings pictures and sound of things happening all around the world right into your home. But the design of TVs has changed rapidly over the decades. In the beginning, TVs were enormous cabinets of wood, glass, and a cathode ray projection system controlled by vacuum tubes, capacitors, and other electronics that brought a grainy black-and-white picture over radio waves to your set.
Today, LCD, and LED screens connect directly to the internet for streaming and could nearly cover a wall in your house. So, as you keep up with emerging technology, what can you do with those older televisions commanding space in rooms or storage areas? Contact College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving to take that old, outdated television off your hands.
Eco-friendly TV disposal & Recycling
To bring the magic of television into your home, this high-tech piece of electronic innovation relies on a lot of components that aren't exactly environmentally friendly. Many waste disposal companies flat out refuse to take them, let alone recycle TVs, due to the quantities of heavy metals that would eventually leach into the ground of a landfill. Old TVs are considered hazardous materials in many places. TVs contain significant amounts of mercury, lead, cadmium (a radioactive element), and chromium. This is also why it is inadvisable to ever break a TV down for disposal since you could be exposing yourself to these harmful materials, which have been designed to be safely contained in an intact TV.
Even some donation sites have stopped taking TVs because they are oftentimes defective, requiring them to figure out what to do with the junk. Furthermore, larger TVs are heavy and dangerous to transport safely without the proper vehicle and skills to move them properly. That's a lot of responsibility for a donation center. College HUNKS partners with local facilities that can manage proper handling of older televisions so that you don’t search for them on your own.
How to Get rid of an old TV
Since there are limited options on how to actually get rid of an old TV, here are a few that are still viable for your consideration:
Recycling: Your local recycler may allow for television disposal for recycling. Fees may be quite a lot depending on the type, size, and age of the TV. Electronic recycling fees are common in most areas.
Donations: Some places still accept TVs as donations but, consider the age of the TV and working condition as a factor as to whether or not they will accept them. Working CRTs (cathode-ray tube) television sets are valued by collectors if they are still in good condition. Goodwill does not take televisions.
Disposal: Many landfills are limited to what they can take as far as hazardous materials go. There might be significant fees, especially if the television set is unusually large or heavy. A landfill may require certain remediation/containment practices to ensure the safety of the soil and nearby groundwater resulting in higher disposal fees.
Repurpose: Recyclers can scrap TV's for parts before they end up in landfills. This is especially useful for collectors or older TV enthusiasts. People who remodel video game cabinets from the 1980s and 1990s rely on the CRT screens for their rebuilds, which are becoming increasingly rare. You might be surprised at how a stack of CRT TVs from a storage shed will make a vintage video game enthusiast's day.
An all-in-one junk removal service
With so many options, and so many restrictions in the way, using an all-in-one junk removal service to deal with TV disposal is a smart call. In partnering with charity organizations, such as Goodwill, as well as recycling centers, and other local organizations, College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving takes the guesswork and hassle out of your TV disposal needs. TVs are often heavy, awkward to maneuver, and contain hazardous materials which are better left to the professionals for removal.
Call us for an estimate to get rid of your TV and other junk too. We’ll take other large electronic devices in your home and office too. Whether it is repurposing, re-use, or disposal, our trained HUNKS are professionals when it comes to convenient removals, as well as making sure that the junk we haul off is dealt with in a way with the least environmental impact.
