The digital TV switch is over, but its aftermath may just be beginning. We’re not talking about waves of confused television owners uncertain about how to get their old TVs working on the new system (although there’s bound to be those too) but an influx of old Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) televisions headed for landfills and for “recycling” in foreign countries.

While the high percentage of television owners who have already switched to digital televisions would indicate that the e-waste from old televisions won’t increase, some experts are worried that the opposite is true. Many people, they suggest, have kept their old CRT televisions despite purchasing newer sets (either with the hope that they’d give them away or need them again for another room or household member), but the digital switch will cement the idea that CRT televisions are no longer of much use and lead owners to finally rid themselves of the bulky boxes. Those who have not yet switched to digital TVs are likely to do so in the next year or two as high definition channels—which are not viewable even with converter boxes—become more available.

A large amount of CRTs headed for landfills could pose a real threat, as the sets contain large amounts of cadmium, lead, and the toxic chemicals that make the televisions flame resistant. But because of the uncertainty about where and how to recycle televisions, landfills are often the only places owners know to take TVs. Recent findings that suggest some government-initiated television recycling programs result in e-waste being shipped to foreign countries for unsafe disassembly add to consumer confusion. Click here to read more

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