How can I reuse or recycle … old televisions?
A couple of weeks ago, my mum and dad’s tv died after seventeen years of faithful service.
Before I could say “ooh, I wonder how that could be reused…”, they whisked it off to the tip for the dutiful tip people to (hopefully) send it for recycling.
But still the question remains in my head – how could an old tv set be re-used? And does anyone know of any recycling schemes if one’s local “household waste sorting site” doesn’t offer the service?
(Photo by eidesign)
You could always go retro and turn it into a fish tank. Just take out the guts, replace the tube with a glas front and voila! Aquatic reality TV.
I gutted my old TV and turned it into a planter – and a statement.
I was wondering whether you have any pictures of your recycled TV? I am from an organisation called We Are What We Do, and in April we supporting TV turn off Week. As part of this we are looking for photos of other TV uses. so if you have any please let me know as we would love to feature them on our site.
be careful!
I remember when a friend took a TV apart, he had to discharge the electricity that it was storing. There’s an electromagnet or capacitor or something inside (well, it is a cathode ray tube) so if you are going to take a tv apart, be careful and research it :)
I ditto the “be careful” comment above. Not something to do if you don’t know what you are doing, as you can get a VERY nasty shock without even knowing where it’s come from.
Turn the set into a dustbin.
If it is taken to the tip it should be recycled under the EEC WEE (waste electrical equipment) regulations. On some older sets the `tube` was fitted behind a large, tinted, moulded glass plate, larger than the `tube` itself – it makes a superb fruit bowl/ serving dish etc.
Gut it. Cut the frame into equal squares and add in a few bits of colored glass. put a light in the bottom of the TV and shine it up. Place a clear piece of glass or plastic for a base on the tv. Put the pieces of screen and colored glass on it and melt or glue on. Turn on the light for a great table.
I know it’s not really recycling them, but you could give them to me!
They have lead and mercury in them. It’s best to leave them in front of a TV repair shop after hours…if you can still find one.
Gut the televisions carefully and turn into either coffee table if tv is large or for smaller tvs gut them then screw together and turn into book cases!
Be careful, I know a story of a man dismantling a tv and the electric travelled into his toes and split them in half. Lucky it wasn’t his genitals! if had to come out somewhere!!
just pay someone to gut it. make sure they recycle what they can to make your aquarium. I’ve seen this done with great results.
I have been recycling old tv’s into hats, corsets and jewellery since 1989. It takes me about an hour to strip a TV and about 3 days to make a hat!
Alison
I gotta see that
Thanks for the reply, just spotted it now. Here is a link to some of my images http://www.flickr.com/photos/abscraft/sets/72157615522360563/
I am running a workshop http://abscraft.blogspot.com/2010/12/jewellery-making-workshop.html on the 12th of Feb in Oxton, Merseyside, North West of England
That is such a great way to recycle old parts! You’re awesome!!
TV or CRT can be recycling ! try http://www.manga-fu.com
I made an old tv console into a bar- i put a black light in it and bottles- Looks great
my tv still works and i don’t know who will take it. sugestions please?
our local authority tip takes old TV’s and computer monitors and ships them to poor countries, find out if yours doesa the same.
I would love to see that hat! Alison Bailey Smith — I have been wanting to rant about this for a while – so here’s my chance
-Who’s bright idea was it to do this hd-tv thing and thus catapult the consumeristic society that we are ALL are guilty of contribnuting to – into this buy a new TV frenzy? Where the hell did they think all the old tv’s were gonna end up exactly? Did they stop to think about the mercury leaking into the ground in our landfills – NO I wager they DID NOT – did they think to simultaneously launch a recycle your old UNCOOL UNHD tv campaign along with the get really consumeristc and get the newest greatest technology (government mandated non the less) campaign?
NO – I wager THEY DID NOT
whew – I feel better now
thanks for listening. I was tempted to start a guerilla recycle drop off spot at a local empty lot near our house by gathering 10 or 12 discarded tvs and starting a wall of tv’s by stacking them up in brick wall fashion – and then let the chips fall – as others wanting to relieve themselves of their mercury infested garbage followed suit – then I would simply spray paint my rant onto the screens — but now that I’ve had my rant – I suppose I will save the poor sot who owns that lot from my wrath
Thanks for the reply, just spotted it now. Here is a link to some of my images http://www.flickr.com/photos/abscraft/sets/72157615522360563/
There is also a discussion on the Guardian about the replacement or upgrading of TV’s http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/07/sony-television-replace-world-cup
Mama luigi
I just want you to know that I think you did a terrific job on this websight.
I’m just using mine as an ornament in my room. It’s simply their to give my room that ‘retro’ and ‘modern’ look. Also as your not going to be using it, you can dress it up, to make it thinner, or a different colour etc! I took the glass out (carefully), and put it into the corner of my room. Now i can see who enters my room, without looking at the door!
A lot of people choose not to get their old TVs recycled these days because of how cheap you can pick up an HDTV but there is still plenty of repair services you could try. If you choose to go down the re-use route and take out the screen as some people have suggested please be careful as tubes contain hazardous material.
If you do go down the recycling route try http://www.weeerecycleelectronics.co.uk
WEEE treatment facilities like this can recycle and dispose of the TV in an environmentally safe manner.
A lot of people choose not to get their old TVs recycled these days because of how cheap you can pick up an HDTV but there is still plenty of repair services you could try. If you choose to go down the re-use route and take out the screen as some people have suggested please be careful as tubes contain hazardous material.
If you do go down the recycling route try weeerecycleelectronics.co.uk (click my name for link)
WEEE treatment facilities like this can recycle and dispose of the TV in an environmentally safe manner.
Searching for answers to the ‘how to dispose of old TV’s’ question, my thanks to paisleygo for the first laugh I’ve EVER got from my monitor screen – his/her four word reply to Alison’s suggestions made me laugh till I cried. (Couldn’t see the screen for a good five minutes!)
On a serious note, I agree with all of your comments following, paisleygo but, of course, most of our protests and questions to THEM go largely unanswered, don’t they? Or are cleverly fielded. I agree, though, a good rant is often all we have – and it makes US feel better!
Hd Crt’s have better picture quality than hd crt
I like the fish tank idea…none the less take the insides of the TV out…and make the shell into a cat house….and if you dont have a fish tank…just put a mirror were the glass used to be…gets people talking what a waste of time TV really is….
I saw someone use it as a really cool Halloween outfit!
I’m thinking about what I am going to do about this almost useless bulky 34inch sharp tv we got off the free section on craigslist. I like these ideas. I like the fish tank idea. But I don’t think that one is going to work for me. I am pretty sure I am going to carefully gut it out. Make jewelry out of the insides. And then cut the screen and tv frame and turn it into some artsy picture frame?