Excellent research on an important subject. I don’t know the stats, but I suspect computer monitors are getting thrown out at an even faster rate than televisions. You see them on the side of the road constantly and that’s not to mention corporations who upgrade to flat-screens in the thousands.

Locally, here in Montreal, most of the Eco-Centres have a small bazaar where they take anything that is still usable and sell it. It’s kind of like a non-stop garage sale. Lots of contractors go there looking for doors and windows as well. But they’ll definitely take your working TV or monitor. Also, Chainon on St. Laurent is a good resource.

Ontario’s newly approved Ontario Electronic Stewardship plan, for instance, is focused primarily on the bulk collection and shredding of electronics for resource extraction. While reuse is given lip service in the plan, there is currently no method proposed to intercept reusable computers from collection depots before they are destroyed. In order to be reused, computers will have to be collected by Stewards or “Refurbish/Reuse organizations”

Other recycling programs do not allow for reuse at all.

This should be a concern since clearing the market of functioning computers eliminates up to 30% that could be reused – forcing consumers to buy new products rather than reusing one. Since most state & provincial recycling programs have actually been created by the manufacturers (essentially foxes guarding the hen house), we should all question their true motives.

Recycling a PC also consumes 20 times the energy compared to reusing one, according to a study performed for the United Nations.

Choose to Reuse before recycling – our carbon footprint will be smaller for it!

Thank you for a very good post on the electronics recycling initiatives that are ongoing in the industry.

As for the analog/digital thing in Canada (later in 2010), most TV in Canada is delivered to people through cable boxes. So the analog coversion will not affect people nearly as much here in Canada as in the US.

However, there is still a drive for people to modernize their TVs.

This is a cost trade/off issue based upon other benefits with the new Flast screen TVs. Costs are cheap and the flat screens have much higher energy efficiencies than older CRT technology. We just need to make sure that these TVs go through to reputable recycling organizations.

Thanks again,

Tyler