Number of the Day: 704.9 Million CRT Televisions
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada 
on 08.14.08
704.9 million -- That's how many cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions have been sold just in the USA since 1980, according to the EPA.
42.4% -- How many of those TVs are estimated to still be in use.
23.9 million -- Number of CRT TVs that will be thrown out in 2008, adding up to an estimated 711,029 tons of televisions. "Numbers for end-of-life TVs have been over 20 million per year since 2005, and are expected to go up to almost 25 million by 2010. Compare this to 10 years ago, when the numbers were closer to 12 million sets disposed of per year. "
18% -- By weight, that's how many of the TVs thrown out during 2006-2007 were recycled. Between 1999 and 2005, the rate was 15%. The rest went to landfills.
46,643 -- How many tons of lead is estimated to be inside TVs landfilled in 2008. This is not counting computer CRT monitors.
For more about this and about television recycling, see our source for these numbers: Popular Mechanics.
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These numbers wouldn't be so tragic if we weren't in the process of replicating the waste with LCDs...
I guess we just care more about trendy toys than we do about the health of our planet...
The recycling of electronic waste - or lack thereof - is the next front in the battle against ignorant consumer disposal. A recent report by www.ecounit.com outlined the lack of responsible e-waste recycling even among "eco-aware" consumers.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/08/prweb1179554.htm
The number of TV's disposed of will be MUCH higher. All those old-style TV's will be obsolete as of February 2009.
I 'm so glad I gave up TV (pretty much) and started actually living my own life instead of watching other live theirs : )
Woot!
is there going to be any kind of trade-in with this new technology? here in canada we had a "bring in your old christmas lights and get a deal on some LED lights!" promotion that worked really well and kept people from just throwing their old lights 'away'. the same idea could apply to this.
On February 17, 2009 federally mandated law will require all full-power broadcast television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting on analog airwaves and begins broadcasting exclusively in a digital format.
If you use an antenna to watch TV on a set that has an analog tuner – and don't subscribe to cable or satellite- you will need to upgrade to digital television by February 17, 2009.
At least 19.6 million households receive over-the-air signals exclusively in their homes, and 14.9 million households have secondary over-the-air TV sets in their bedrooms or kitchens. Overall, nearly 70 million television sets are at risk of losing their signals.
That’s a potential 70 million televisions in landfills, completely going to waste. But there is a solution. Analog broadcasting is still available outside of the United State. A few developing nations in Central America have agreed to participate in a Donation based service program for low income families in poverty stricken areas. Some of these families would have never thought possible owning their own television.
Sometimes what seems to be a bad or inconvenient situation can lead to brilliant change and potential miracles.
Due to this occurrence, we are organizing a not-for-profit, charity based organization called, DDATVS (Donation and Distribution of Analog Televisions)
Our mission is to collect as many unwanted analog televisions as possible and donate them to various developing countries in Latin America. This is a way of preventing many of these fully functioning televisions from ending up abandoned in landfills, while also proving a charitable service to families in need throughout Central America.
If you would like to donate your television or become involved in the efforts of this program in anyway, please contact ddatvs@hotmail.com
We are also looking for transportation carriers, funding, and administration assistance.
Thank you and have a wonderful new year.
I recently replaced my old CRT set with a new flatpanel TV, but couldn't bring myself to throw it out. And we sure don't need two TVs blaring in the house. So I put a top on the old one and turned it into a coffee table.
There's just something funny to me about seeing old technology repurposed, and used alongside the new.