Switching to the Recycling Channel

An estimated 32 million new televisions are expected to enter U.S. homes this year, while consumers expect to get rid of about 44 million, based on a survey of 1,000 people released this month by the Consumer Electronics Association. The survey indicated that most of those TVs will be sold, donated or recycled rather than thrown in the trash.

A previous survey by the association showed that about 14 percent of antenna-dependent households plan to buy a new digital TV before the transition occurs Feb. 17, 2009. About 60 percent of the 2,000 people surveyed said they intend to buy a converter box or subscribe to cable or satellite service to keep using their current TVs.

A dozen states, including Maryland and Virginia, have set up recycling programs for electronics, often requiring manufacturers to contribute to the recycling effort.

This year, Virginia passed a law requiring all manufacturers doing business in the state to help fund recycling programs for computers. But the law, which takes effect in July 2009, does not include TVs or other electronics.

Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties, as well as Alexandria, host regular collection events. In some cases, collection fees are waived for county residents.

In Maryland, electronics manufacturers must pay a fee to do business in the state, which goes toward funding for county recycling programs. Starting this year, counties must accept TVs at their recycling centers to be eligible for state grants.

Seventeen of the state's 24 counties have set up permanent electronics recycling facilities. Hilary Miller, manager for the Maryland Department of the Environment's recycling program, said Montgomery, Anne Arundel, Prince George's and Baltimore counties usually collect the largest quantitiesof electronics.

"We don't envision a serious problem" with an influx of TVs coming to the county facilities, Miller said.

Some TV makers have started their own programs to take back their brand's TVs and pay to have them safely recycled. Sony said it has collected 6 million pounds of electronics since its program started in September. In response to various state laws, Panasonic, partnering with Toshiba and Sharp, has started holding collection events and last year recycled 3.4 million pounds of TVs.

Mark Sharp, group manager of Panasonic's Corporate Environmental Department, said the company does not expect a big uptick in sales of new TVs. He added that recycling efforts have improved in recent years.

"We really don't forecast this deluge of products going into the waste stream" as a result of the digital transition, he said.

Brent Young, director of business development for E-Tech Recycling, which has drop-off centers for electronics in Chantilly and Portland, Ore., said he has seen the largest spike of TVs come in during public collections. He recently collected more than 2,500 pounds of TVs in three hours at an event near Portland.

"I think we'll see the largest increase before the transition happens in November and December, during the holiday shopping season," he said.

Tim Felegie of Arlington couldn't wait that long. When he pulled up to the recycling event last weekend, his 20-year-old Sharp TV, complete with push buttons and faux wood, was in the passenger seat to be dropped off.

Waiting in the car behind him was Mitt Mittendorff, who had bought a new flat-screen and had hauled his old 31-inch TV to be recycled.

"It's huge, and you have to hit it sharply in the corner sometimes to make it work."