"Green" Monday

In an attempt to be green, I researched where they recycle televisions. I have been carting Brian's tv with me from rental to rental the last few years. Two years ago, I received a second tv, to prepare for the change from analog to digital.

Well, I had broken the cable out put port, too. It is a long story and I could still watch tv if I had the cord placed in a specific way. Duct tape would have been a handy addition to this quandry, in hind sight.

I kept the tv for a few reasons. Mostly, since it was Brian's. It is big/bulky. I am able to hook a DVD player or VCR up to it and view movies. Outside of that, though, it is a piece of furniture in the way of my tiny room.

I asked Sara if she had any interest in having the tv. She didn't. She prefers the lap top and streaming video on Netflix. I understand this, too. The tv is awkward. Her place is smaller than mine.

I googled television recycle centers and found options. The first one I called was close to me. The guy was informative. He explained that if I wasn't charged a fee to recycle the tv, well, than, the place was not truly recycling the tv. Instead they were selling the tv to a country where they were uninterested in the mercury and lead levels. Sort of defeats the purpose of recycling. I want to say that there are 8-10 lbs of lead in most tv's. There is now a way of disposing of tv's to lessen the impact of the

I asked if they would pick it up, for me, and he said--well, where are you located? I said, Denver and he explained that they closed there location in Colorado and were primarily a west coast company.

I called the Waste Management listing and made arrangements to drop the tv off. They said they were open from 7-3, Monday-Friday. The guy said that there was a 30 minute window where they would be unavailable to assist me due to lunch which I understood.

Seeing that it was just past one, I decided to take the tv that day. I carted it to my car, hoping that I wouldn't drop it. Of course, the one time I want to see one of my intrusive neighbors, they are nowhere to be found.

It was fun and the tv made it to my car unscathed. I drove to the drop off location and was about to hand the guy cash, when, he informed me that they only accepted checks or money orders. That information would have been helpful to know. I suppose most people (women) carry check books. I don't. Frustrated, I drove home and returned with a check to cover the $10 fee to recycle my tv.

Funny, how, in an attempt to be green, I actually created more of a carbon footprint with all of the driving needed to complete this task.

If you are interested in recycling your tv or an appliance check out this website--Earth911.com. There are links to recycle centers, solutions and ways to be more green.