Don't dump your old TV on the curb — recycle it

Out with the old, in with the new.</p><p>As the switchover from analog TV signals to digital looms, more people are upgrading their home electronics.</p><p>That also means thinking about what to do with their old TVs, VCRs and DVD players.</p><p>Don't, repeat, don't just put them out on the curb for bulky-item pickup! So pleads Bob Akers of the nonprofit <strong>Surplus Exchange</strong>, which provides recycling services.</p><p>Electronics are particularly challenging because products contain large quantities of lead and other toxic materials.</p><p>“We have to think what we're doing with all of these materials, some of which are highly toxic and leaving nasty land mines for people of future generations to deal with,” Akers said.</p><p>In 2005, Surplus Exchange recycled 655 tons of electronics, and in 2006 that number jumped more than 22 percent to 805.1 tons, a figure that was matched in 2007.


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