How to give your old TV a second life

If you just got a new TV, you’re probably wondering what to do with your old TV. Maybe you’re in a hurry to get rid of that dusty, heavy, old model before guests arrive. But before you throw it away, consider a more eco-friendly option.

For example, most cities like you Recycle your old electronicsIt is wasteful to throw your old TV in the trash. Depending on how old the TV is, it may contain toxic metals like mercury. What should you do instead? There are plenty of options, especially if it still works. The most obvious thing is to move it to another room, but I’ll assume you’ve already thought about it, especially if you have new tv To change it.

Luckily, many options for getting rid of an old TV don’t cost you anything except a little bit of your time. What to do here. For more information, see What Your old phone can be turned into a wireless mouse or a security camera,

wipe data before doing anything else

No matter what you intend to do with your TV, make sure you Log out of all your streaming accountsthen take a step forward and factory resetWhich you can find hidden in the user menu. obviously someone’s Freeload Your Netflix This is only an issue if you have an older TV smart TV, But erasing your passwords and personal information is a It’s a good idea to connect to any of your old electronics,

Try selling on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace (if it’s worth anything)

Although selling a TV may seem as obvious as moving it to another room, the specifics are a little less obvious.

First, you need local pickup for the TV. No matter how well you pack the TV, even if you have the original box, it’s probably not going to last during a trip. Modern TVs are very fragile. Now the seller has to deal with the broken TV and you have to give the buyer their money back.

If you sell it locally, the same problem applies. Inevitably the buyer will come to get you 65 inch tv In a 1990 Honda Civic and you’re asked to help fill it in the back. If you are getting rid of a large TV, be sure to mention its dimensions and weight in the ad.

Read more: 5 Reasons You Should Use Facebook Marketplace Instead of Craigslist

And only then you can sell it. The value of used TVs depreciates rapidly, partly because new TVs are getting cheaper and cheaper. That TV you spent $2,000 on? You might get $200. See “Is Your TV Worth Anything?” Section at the bottom.

Alternatively, just list it for free. If the person picks it up, it’s a win-win for everyone.

Donate your TV

An easier option is to donate it to a local charity, ideally one that has volunteers coming to pick it up.

There’s also Goodwill, Salvation Army, Savers or another drop-off secondhand retailer. You will have to bring the TV to one of their locations. Check their website to see if they will accept your TV type and size. For example, they probably won’t take any old items. rear-projection tv Since most people don’t want them.

Also contact your local library or public schools. Many people are always in need of donations, however a 20 year old TV may not be what they are looking for.

Give (return) your TV to Best Buy

Best buy will be available Your used electronics, not just TVs, but old phones, tablets, batteries, and even cables. Again, you’ll need to bring the TV to your nearest Best Buy, but since it still works it doesn’t matter, the amount of care required is exponentially reduced. You’ll also get Best Buy points, which you can combine with $5 to get $5 worth of candy at checkout.

The larger TV will cost $25, which seems reasonable considering it’s taking such a big thing out of your hands.

If you’re buying a new TV for $60 and getting it installed this will remove the oldIf you haven’t bought a new TV from Best Buy, It will come to your home and be picked up for $200,

Get your TV professionally recycled

Some cities and local jurisdictions offer TV recycling, either as drop-off at a recycling center or as part of your regular curbside pickup. Contact your local government for details.

There are many organizations that will help you recycle your electronics, including TVs. check it out Environmental Protection Agency page for more information, MRM Recycling also has a page To help you find options in your area.

Many manufacturers have their own programs, or partner with such companies. check it out Electronics Take-Back Coalition page for more information. Keep in mind that just because a manufacturer has a program, it doesn’t mean they’ll have a drop-off location for you. For example, the nearest LG drop-off point to Los Angeles, America’s second-largest city, is more than 500 miles away.

If you’re now wondering about all the small electronics around your house that you can recycle, check out our Guide to recycling phones, laptops, batteries and cameras for free,

curbside or garage sales

Depending on where you live, you may be able to let your neighbors deal with it. I hesitate to even mention this because if you live in an area where people carry stuff on the sidewalk, you probably know this. And if you don’t know, leaving your trash on the sidewalk for days or weeks is never a good thing. So your mileage may vary on this.

Yard or garage sales are another option. Again, it’s easier than dragging it yourself.

Is your TV really worth anything?

Most people remember how much they paid for a TV and assume it’s still worth something, even years after purchasing it. This is absolutely not true. TVs have become so cheap that there is not much of a market for a used television, especially if the TV was not that expensive.

Although there are some exceptions, here are some general rules:

This is probably something worthwhile if:

• This has been a high-end TV for the last five years
• Except possibly early models, this is an OLED TV
• It’s bigger than 65 inches
• This is a CRT (in very specific situations, see below)

It’s probably not worth much if:

• It was a budget or even midrange LCD
• It is more than 10 years old
• this is a plasma
• This is an early smart TV (as long as streaming apps still work)
• This is an old tube (CRT) TV

It is definitely not of any value if:

• This is a rear-projection TV
• This is a CRT RPTV (pay attention to this advice: lift with your knees, not your back)
• It doesn’t have HDMI

Now, there are exceptions to these rules. You may be able to find a collector for your 500-pound RCA console TV. Maybe an archeology major is doing a project on early flat-panel TVs and finds your mint Fujitsu a prime candidate for his dissertation.

tv with haste HDMI version like 1.4 Not useless, but their use is less. They may not play well with modernity streaming device Or game console,

There is one specific situation where a CRT may be of some value. hardcore retro gamers Beginners like to play video game consoles on CRTAnd these are becoming increasingly difficult to find, for obvious reasons. However, they’re not looking for just any CRT, and if you have one of those giant CRTs from any era, getting it out of your house may be more trouble than it should be. And forget about shipping.

If the CRT has components (red, green, blue, plus two for audio), or even S **** video Input, it’s promising. If it does not contain at least one composite (Yellow, plus red and white for audio), it’s probably not going to sell for much.

As well as covering TV and other display technology, Geoff also leads photo tours Amazing museums and places around the worldInvolved nuclear submarines, giant aircraft carrier, medieval castleepic 10,000 mile road tripsand more. check out tech track For all his tours and adventures.

he wrote a best selling science fiction novel About city-sized submarines, with sequelYou can follow their adventures Instagram and his Youtube channel,