Digital Transition Will Create Tech Trash Tsunami
High-definition TV sets have been flying off retailer shelves for months, but what will be left behind has some very concerned. Because as consumers snatch up HDTVs in preparation for the digital television transition on Feb. 19, 2009, millions of instantly-obsolete analog sets will be flying into the trash.
The real problem, experts say, is that these old TVs contain lead-encased picture tubes and other hazardous materials that will contaminate landfills from coast to coast. Coupled with the already expected influx of old laptops, cellphones and other CE products into landfills, and lawmakers and environmentalists are becoming alarmingly concerned.
"There's going to be an e-waste tsunami that hits America," Electronic Recyclers' CEO John Shegerian told the L.A. Times.
According to the paper, televisions have been less likely to end up in trash dumps than other electronics products because they end up being used for video games, DVDs or just extra sets. The latest U.S. Census data shows that the average household had 2.5 TVs in 2004, a 25 percent increase since 1990. In all, there were 268 million televisions, the paper said.
Still, tens of millions of old analog TVs will need to be hooked up to a cable or satellite set-top, or fitted with a converter box, to display the new digital signal. And, no matter what, the digital conversion will force consumers to realize that even if their old TVs seem to be working, it will become painfully clear that the set is incompatible with the new delivery system.
But there is hope. As part of the effort to educate the public about the transition, the Consumer Electronics Association launched its new recycling website, http://www.mygreenelectronics.org, which assists people find safe places to drop off their old TVs and other devices. According to the organization, 19 percent of consumers threw their old electronics in the trash, 55 percent gave them away and 18 percent recycled them.
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