Electronic Waste Recycling and DTV Transition News.

(Article provided by Gena McKinley of H-GAC)

Good news on electronic waste recycling! Because of state legislation passed in 2007 (House Bill 2714) that came into full force on September 1, 2008, all companies selling computers in Texas must offer free and convenient recycling of their old computer equipment. The state environmental agency has created a new website to help residents use the recycling programs: http://www.texasrecyclescomputers.org/.

Recycling is free, producer-paid, and applies to all monitors, laptops and desktop computers, as bought before or after September 1, 2008. Households and home-based businesses are covered in this law. We encourage Texans to use the new recycling systems and provide feedback so that improvements can be made.

TV recycling is making strides as well. Several major television makers (Sony, LG/Zenith, Samsung, Panasonic, Sharp, Toshiba and Wal-Mart) are now offering free recycling for their products. As of Feb. 15, Best Buy stores are accepting computers and televisions (up to 32-inch screens) as well. To find out how and where to recycle your TV, visit http://www.texastakeback.com/.

The national switch to digital television signals has been delayed to June 12th, 2009. This gives Texas residents more time to prepare for the switch, and it gives television manufacturers more time to start recycling programs for their products. But you don’t necessarily have to recycle your TV — even if you have an old-style analog TV, you can continue using it if you have cable or satellite or get a digital converter box. To make sure your TV won’t go blank in June, visit http://www.dtv.gov/.