DTV e-Waste; not looking good people.

Yesterday I signed a letter that Co-op America has circulating urging the EPA to pass standards for the plethora of e-Waste that is coming with the DTV transition in February 2009 (You can sign it too.) This is what they sent to me:

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency encourages you to extend the life of your analog TV by connecting it to a digital-to-analog converter box or subscribing to a paid TV service.

When buying a digital-to-analog converter box, look for one with the ENERGY STAR label. Converter boxes that are ENERGY STAR-qualified use less energy than conventional converter boxes.

If you decide to buy a new digital TV and no longer want your old analog TV, look for opportunities to recycle it. Recycling TVs recovers valuable materials from the circuit boards, metal wiring, leaded glass, and plastics. Call your local household hazardous waste collection and recycling program to find out whether they will be sponsoring an upcoming event to recycle TVs and other electronics. You can also check out the attached publication in full  “FCC and EPA Joint Fact Sheet on DTVand Recycling” to find a recycling program near you.”

It is what it is, the FCC and EPA had mandated this change and thus we as consumers are forced to adapt.  But we can be smart about how we dispose of old TVs. A few hints and things I know:

1.  Best Buy will take back your TV if you have a large TV delivered to you home. Best Buy is also in beta on a take back program at 117 locations (Case study highlighted in . Here’s the list. Fingers crossed cause we all know convenience will make us recycle more.

2. In November major flat panel manufacturers will announce ENERGY STAR rated TV’s that meet Energy STAR requirement in ON mode. This is huge and can result in huge electrical savings for big TV-watching families and bachelors.

3. This will be a great source of mockery in general. This video about the DTV transition from Talkshow with Spike Fereston is very funny and worth the watch.

That’s what I have for today.

KDL | follow me on Twitter: newscaster