Best Buy Free Electronics Recycling Program

Recycling electronics can be such a hassle sometimes. Trust me, I've got batteries and an old cell phone sitting in a bag on my dining table waiting to be taken to Staples or Kinko's. And bigger items like TV and computers can be somewhat of a pain to recycle...with all the searching for a local facility and such.

Well, Best Buy is now testing out their Free Electronics Recycling program! As of June 1st 117 stores in the Baltimore, San Francisco, and Minnesota markets are inviting customers to bring in no more than two (2) units per day, per household, for recycling at no charge. Customers can bring items such as televisions and monitors up to 32”, computers, phones, cameras, and other electronics devices and peripherals in for recycling.

The following items cannot be accepted through this program:

• Televisions or monitor screens greater than 32”
• Console televisions
• Air conditioners
• Microwaves
• Appliances (customers are invited instead to use Best Buy’s appliance haul-away and pick-up programs)

Best Buy will work with its stores, recycling partners, and manufacturers to evaluate the success of the test and determine options for scaling it across the U.S. I hope this works out and that it makes its way to Los Angeles!

Meanwhile, Best Buy continues to offer these electronics and appliance recycling options, available in every U.S. store:

• Recycling kiosks: at the front of every store, ink cartridges, rechargeable batteries, cell phones, CDs, DVDs, and PDA/smart phones can be dropped off for free recycling

• Appliance and television haul-away: Best Buy will remove an old or obsolete appliance or television free of charge from a consumers' home when a new product is purchased and delivered by Best Buy Home Delivery or Geek Squad Home Theater Installation Service.

• Appliance and television pick-up: For $100, Best Buy will arrange a home visit to remove up to two (2) appliance units and/or televisions for recycling, with $20 for each additional unit.

• Tech Trade-In: Visit www.bestbuytradein.com to trade in select gently used electronics for a Best Buy gift card.

Bye Bye Bunny Ears

Yeah, I sport the bunny ears! But alas, come 2009 I will have to part from my babies because the powers that be are phasing out analog TV's and digital is taking over the scene! You can find out more about the switcharoo and converter boxes here

Thinking about moving on completely and getting yourself a fancy schmancy flat screen / digital TV? Be sure not to leave your old TV out in the cold or down in the dumps (literally!). Billions of pounds of e-waste like computers, televisions, VCRs and walkmen (you remember those, right?), cell phones, and printers are sent out to pasture. This creates a significant burden on landfills because the toxins leach into the soil and our groundwater. E-waste recycling also harvests resources like the glass, copper, plastic, and aluminum. I happened to catch a news segment last night about how facilities make beaucoup profit from harvesting the copper from old TVs AND that they even harvest gold in the materials! I think I heard them correctly and if so then that is pretty insane! The really mean it when they say "one man's trash in another man's treasure" don't they?

Properly dispose your electronics through e-waste programs and facilities in your cities. You can Google "e-waste recycling" and find sites like this that can help you track down a facility near you or you can investigate further by visiting Earth911.org for tips on how to recycle your specific electronic device. The page I link to gives a list of different companies like Apple, Dell, Samsung, etc. and their very own sponsored recycling programs. Pretty snazzy.