October 9, 2008

Charlotte, NC -- The transition to digital television may mean you're getting a new television.  If so, what should you do with your old television?  Getting rid of it is simple and you have several options:

Option 1: Call 311. Simply call the City-County Customer Service Center to schedule a bulky item collection. When you call be sure to tell the operator you have a television to be collected. The operator will provide you with a date for collection.  Place the television at the curb no earlier than 24 hours prior to the scheduled collection.  Placing the television at the curb earlier than 24 hours prior to collection could result in a minimum $50 fine.

Option 2: You can also schedule a collection online at http://curbit.charmeck.org.  Click the schedule bulky items online link from the homepage and follow the scheduling directions on the site.

Option 3: Drop off your television at one of the full-service recycling facilities.  To find the center closest to you go to www.wipeoutwaste.com.

Area residents can learn first-hand about the conversion and provide comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) at a public workshop being sponsored by the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and the Southeast Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors. The free event will be held Thursday, October 16 at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the DTV Road Show truck will be at the Government Center to provide information about converter boxes. Local broadcasters and cable operators will be on-hand to talk about their services, and Charlotte's Solid Waste Services Department will provide information about how to properly dispose of or recycle old televisions.

From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the council chambers, Kevin Martin, Chairman of the FCC, along with other stakeholders, including David Rehr, president of the National Association of Broadcasters, will speak at a community forum addressing questions and concerns related to the DTV transition. For more information about DTV Day at the Government Center, call 704-336-8567.

To learn more about the DTV transition, visit the DTV website at www.dtv.gov, or call 1-800-388-2009. Charlotte-Mecklenburg residents can also visit the Cable TV website for DTV information and links to both the FCC and National Telecommunications Information Administration. 

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Television Recycling Facts

What happens to the televisions after they are collected or dropped off at the full-service recycling facilities?  Every television is individually handled and completely recycled, with all the material separated for raw material recovery.

How are they recycled?  The units are manually disassembled in Charlotte and their parts removed and separated by raw material (plastics, copper, steel, leaded glass, non-leaded glass, circuit boards, etc.)

What parts are recycled? All the parts are recycled, with the exception of laminate wood. There is not a recycling operation that processes used laminate wood. EVERYTHING else is returned to use in manufacturing.

Do any pieces end up in the landfill? We are investigating a waste-to-energy boiler fuel option for the wood waste, but have yet to secure such a solution. So currently a small amount of inert wood waste ends up in the landfills.  

If the analog televisions that end up at the curb are still in good condition, is there a way to upgrade them to digital? It is not practical to upgrade an analog TV to digital; however they will work fine if plugged into a set-top cable or satellite box.