Recycle your soon-to-be-obsolete TV set

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On Feb. 18, little more than three months from now, your old analog TV may not work without a converter. Millions of Americans will be nudged into scrapping their old sets and buying digital.

But before you dump your old television at a landfill, where its toxic innards, including lead, mercury and cadmium, can contaminate your air and water, check out the Environmental Protection Agency’s Plug-In To ECycle website to answer the question: What do I do with my old TV?

Not only will recycling help the environment, but the plastics, metals and other components in the old TVs can be reused, thus cutting back on greenhouse gases from manufacturing that are disrupting our climate. Besides factoids, podcasts, a video and a moderate dose of feel-good propaganda, EPA’s website directs you to local programs to assist you in donating or recycling your old electronics. And that includes old cellphones and computers too.

If you’re unsure whether you’ll need a new TV, here’s some guidance from our colleague Jim Puzzanghera, along with a handy explanatory illustration.

-- Margot Roosevelt