Getting a new TV for Super Bowl? It’s easy to recycle
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — With Super Bowl LVIII coming up next weekend, people may be tempted by discounts to upgrade their TV sets to best view the big game.
This can lead to confusion about how to properly dispose of the older, unwanted electronic devices and even packaging from the new products.
“We just want to make sure that no matter why you might be getting rid of an old electronic, a broken TV, or just an old outdated version, that you know the best way to dispose of that TV or any old electronics you have in your house,” said Jennifer Powers, Metro’s Waste Prevention Outreach Manager. “Because it’s important to keep them out of the landfill.”
Portland Opera receives $22K grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
According to Metro, it is illegal to dump TVs in the garbage, landfills or incinerators in Oregon. Many models contain toxic chemicals like flame retardants or minerals that can be recycled.
If your old TV still functions, Metro suggests reselling, donating or reusing it elsewhere in your home, instead of putting it in the trash. If it’s broken, the TV can be recycled for free using the Oregon E-Cycles program or taken to a Metro transfer station, where people can recycle up to seven electronic items for free.
“The Goodwills in Oregon are all Oregon E-Cycles locations,” Powers added. “There are also organizations like Free Geek or Green Century and lots of electronics recycling places located throughout our community.”
Portland Winter Light Festival helps people ‘see their city differently’
As far as the packaging that comes with a new TV, some of it can be recycled, some goes in the trash, Metro says. The cardboard boxes can be flattened and disposed of with your recycling, but boxes should be cut up if they’re more than three feet long in any direction. Styrofoam can’t be recycled, but can be taken to the Agilyx recycling center in Tigard and disposed of for free. Anything plastic goes in the trash.
TV cables can go in the trash, but not in your recycling bins since they can clog recycling equipment.
“We call them ‘tanglers'” said Powers. “It’s really actually very dangerous for the folks who work at those places to get up there and cut the cords out.”
PSU report: Oregon homelessness on the rise, shelter bed gap increasing
If functional, they can be donated or taken to an electronics recycler. Additionally, remotes should not be thrown out at home, especially if they have batteries inside. Metro says you can bring old batteries to one of their household hazardous waste facilities for free disposal.
For more information on what to do with old electronics or household hazardous waste, click here.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
