As a nation, we love our TVs. So much so that we’re keeping nearly 100 million of old, likely CRT-based relics collecting dust. The New York Times reports:
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates 99.1 million televisions sit unused in closets and basements across the country. Consumer response to recycling has been enormous in states where the laws have taken effect. Collection points in Washington State, for example, have been swamped by people like Babs Smith, 55, who recently drove to RE-PC, a designated electronics collection and repurposing center on the southern edge of Seattle.
The good news is that some electronics recycling centers can barely keep up with the influx of old electronics. The bad news, as the Times piece points out, is that local governments, electronics makers, consumers and even inmates are getting caught in a sad patchwork of programs and state regulations that still don’t completely address the safe disposal of electronics.
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