By the time you read this, the conversion from analog to digital TV on Friday, June 12, may have already taken place. Many New Mexicans decided to buy hi-definition TVs to replace older models that require converter boxes to work in the new digital landscape. But even though your previous set might seem out of date, bulky and otherwise lame, folks in the recycling biz urge you not to throw it away."Almost 100 percent of what these old TVs are made of can be recycled," says Waste Management New Mexico spokesperson Marlene Feuer. "The landfill is not the right place for them."Feuer says televisions have dangerous materials in them, such as lead, which can be carcinogenic. She says it’s unlikely lead from a TV screen dumped in Albuquerque’s landfill could leak into the groundwater supply below, but there’s no need to take that risk.Joel Belding, president of Enchantment Recycling, says materials in TV screens can be used to make a number of items. Lead can be extracted from the glass, and then the glass itself is burned and used for fuel. Metals in the TV can become part of cars or anything needing steel. The plastic innards are ground and turned into plastic lumber for park benches or decks on houses.Jill Holbert, deputy director of the city’s Solid Waste Management Department, says she’s not sure whether more TVs have been tossed in the months leading up to the digital transition. There might be an increase in people getting rid of their old TVs, Holbert says, but if that’s so, her department hasn’t noticed the change. "We dispose of over 600,000 tons of garbage each year at our landfill, so you’re kind of talking about a needle-in-a-haystack situation," Holbert says. "I can’t say whether they’re there or not, because we just don’t see them."
News Bite Out With The Old
Three places that recycle TVs in Albuquerque: Albuquerque Recycling on 3800 Hawkins NE, Suite D off of Jefferson. The company charges $10 to $15 depending on the size of your set. Enchantment Recycling on 4121 Prospect NE, Suite B near Carlisle and Menaul. Depending on TV size, the fee for recycling is between $15 and $20. All Zenith, Sony and LG sets are recycled free of charge. Envirosolve Waste Services on 5338 Williams SE in the South Valley. Envirosolve charges a $30 drop-off fee for TVs, but some brands are recycled for free.Holbert from the Waste Management Department says people purchasing new sets should ask whether the store they’re buying from takes old TVs for recycling. She adds that the city has sponsored past events where people can drop off their televisions to be recycled. As of now, no such events are scheduled.For a more complete list of electronics recycling locations, visit recyclenewmexico.com.
