GREENSBORO, N.C. — Nothing says ‘Merry Christmas’ like a new TV. It's one of the most common presents for Santa to bring. Once the new TV is in, the old TV is out, Literally. Lots of folks try to throw them out, but you can't do that, it's illegal.
In 25 states there is a version of a law that makes it illegal to throw TVs and other electronics in the trash. North Carolina is one of those states. In fact, a 2011 law expanded the state's e-waste program, banning televisions and computer equipment like monitors, printers, and scanners from landfills. The goal was to find an environmentally-friendly and secure way to get rid of them.
You can drop off your old tv or electronics at various places for free. For example, Best Buy has a whole list of items it takes, up to three items per day per person. In most counties, like in Guilford, there are multiple drop-off sites.
Dropping off a TV is one thing, but a computer is another. There's a lot of personal info on that hard drive. Here's how the county drop-off sites handle security.
“They wipe their computers clean and also send the hard drives through a shredder that shreds the hard drive. They even separate the color of the plastic – like the white plastic from your computer from the black and the metals that are also extracted. It is an amazing process,” said Eddie Raynard, Environmental Compliance Specialist.
So, basically, if it has a cord it needs to be e-cycled and not trashed.