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The Three R's and the DTV Switch
SkyFILES: The Three R's and the DTV Switch
by Michael Hopkins
Can consumers abide by the three "R's", which are reuse, recycle and reduce, when it comes to the final disposal of their consumer electronics?
And could the pending transition to digital TV create monster piles of electronics trash?
Despite the fact that the DTV switch set for February 2009 will make millions of analog sets obsolete, those in the consumers electronics business think any e-waste generated by the coming transition may not be a big issue.
This week's BRIDGE, from contributor Matt Colella, cites a study from the Consumer Electronics Association that suggests consumers are less likely to throw away their old TVs. The group's survey projects that fewer than 15 million TVs would be removed from homes after the transition through 2010. Of that amount, 95 percent of outdated TVs will be sold, donated or recycled, according to CEA's numbers.
In addition, the association says almost half (48 percent) of over-the-air-only households are expected to buy a digital converter box and continue using the same TV. Whether intentional or not, there's a green element to the federal government's digital TV converter box coupon program.
While the CEA suggests the digital TV transition will have a minimal impact on the local dump, keeping analog TV sets out of any landfill will be a challenge. The U.S. Census Bureau says the average household had 2.5 television sets in 2004. Researchers estimate there are 268 million TVs in the nation.
Hopefully, consumers are far more likely to recycle, reuse, give away or sell analog TVs and other electronics before putting them on the corner for the weekly trash collection.
SkyFILES: The Three R's and the DTV Switch
by Michael Hopkins
Can consumers abide by the three "R's", which are reuse, recycle and reduce, when it comes to the final disposal of their consumer electronics?
And could the pending transition to digital TV create monster piles of electronics trash?
Despite the fact that the DTV switch set for February 2009 will make millions of analog sets obsolete, those in the consumers electronics business think any e-waste generated by the coming transition may not be a big issue.
This week's BRIDGE, from contributor Matt Colella, cites a study from the Consumer Electronics Association that suggests consumers are less likely to throw away their old TVs. The group's survey projects that fewer than 15 million TVs would be removed from homes after the transition through 2010. Of that amount, 95 percent of outdated TVs will be sold, donated or recycled, according to CEA's numbers.
In addition, the association says almost half (48 percent) of over-the-air-only households are expected to buy a digital converter box and continue using the same TV. Whether intentional or not, there's a green element to the federal government's digital TV converter box coupon program.
While the CEA suggests the digital TV transition will have a minimal impact on the local dump, keeping analog TV sets out of any landfill will be a challenge. The U.S. Census Bureau says the average household had 2.5 television sets in 2004. Researchers estimate there are 268 million TVs in the nation.
Hopefully, consumers are far more likely to recycle, reuse, give away or sell analog TVs and other electronics before putting them on the corner for the weekly trash collection.
