Upgrading your television is exciting but can pose a problem and raise some questions: How do I get rid of it? Can I throw it out in the trash? What if it still works? Should I sell it or donate it? What do I do? The best solution for TV removal is different for everyone. But first, you need to start with the basic questions like…
Can I throw away my TV in the trash or take it to a landfill?
No. Why?
The short answer: Televisions should never be thrown in with your regular trash because they contain toxic chemicals.
The long answer: Though today’s flat screen models contain much less toxins than the older CRT TVs, flat screen televisions can still harbor harmful chemicals. You can try giving your trash service a call to see if they will pick it up, but they probably can’t as televisions need special disposal treatments they usually don’t offer.
You also can’t just throw a television in a landfill. In January 2013, the Covered Device Recycling Act of 2010 was passed in Pennsylvania, prohibiting electronics from ending up in landfills.
But don’t worry; there are plenty of alternative disposal methods available.
TV Removal: Options For Everyone
If it still works…
- Donate it to a charity.
Contact local charities to see if they’ll accept a used, still working television. If it’s been sitting in your basement for a few months (or years), make sure you check your TV still works before calling.
- Sell it.
The magic of the internet provides so many options. Trying to sell it is perfect for those who have some extra time to hold on to the TV and wait for someone to purchase it. You can list it on different apps, like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or Offer Up. If you’d prefer, you can also note the buyer must pick it up. No driving it around, and you make a little extra cash. Sounds like a winning situation.
- Give it away.
If selling doesn’t work for you or you don’t have time to wait around for someone to buy it, you can ask friends and family if they want an old, working television or know of someone who does. Chances are, you know someone who knows someone who is in need of a “new to them” TV.
If it no longer works…
- Take it to a recycling facility.
Start by finding a local recycling facility in your state or county in PA that will accept and properly recycle your television.
For those located in southeastern Pennsylvania, you can check directly with your counties to see if they offer local pick up:
TV recycling is beneficial for more than just your own health. The chemicals found in some televisions –mercury, cadmium, and chromium to name a few—are harmful not only to you but also the environment by potentially leaking into and contaminating water sources. Television recycling cuts down on easily preventable pollution.
And not only do you prevent further damage to the environment from chemicals but from wasting smaller, valuable components that can be used again and again when recycled. Glass, copper wire, plastic, and other metals: this is what your old TV is made of, and these parts can give life to new things instead of wasting away in a landfill.
- Return it to the manufacturer.
Check if your television manufacturer has a return program, where they’ll recycle or refurbish the television. If it’s in good enough condition, they might even give you a voucher for it.
- Contact your local junk removal company for quick TV removal.
Our last and final solution is probably the easiest one: Call a local junk removal company, like Moving U & Junk U, to haul away your TV. You don’t have to go through the hassle of listing it online, calling around to find someone—anyone—who wants to take it off your hands, or finding a vehicle it fits in to haul it to a recycling or donation center yourself.
We make it easy: show us the TV, located anywhere in your house, and we’ll haul it away.
Not sure hiring a junk removal company is the right option for you? Here are 5 things you should consider before hiring a junk removal service for your TV removal.
To get your free estimate for television removal, give us a call at 484-301-2442 or email us at info@movingujunku.com. We can have a crew remove your old television as early as today or tomorrow. Our junk crew members are trained movers as well, so they can remove your TV from your basement, attic, shed, and wherever else it could be located. Just show them the television, and they’ll haul it away. If it works, we’ll try to donate it. If it doesn’t, we’ll take it to the appropriate recycling center for you.
Easy, environmentally friendly removal without you lifting a finger, except maybe to show us where the TV is.
While we’re there, if you have anything else you need removed like a mattress, old appliance, piano, hot tub, or TV, we can haul that away with the hot tub as well.
