TV Disposal Across the UK

No. TVs are waste electrical and electronic equipment and should never go in your general waste or recycling bin. They need to be recycled through a household waste recycling centre, a retailer take-back scheme, a council collection or a registered waste carrier, so that hazardous materials are handled safely and useful materials are recovered.

Most councils will collect TVs as part of their bulky waste service, usually for a fee that varies widely between areas and is often charged per item or per batch of items. Some only collect from the kerbside or front garden, so you may need to carry the TV outside yourself. You can also take a TV to your local household waste recycling centre free of charge.

Under the WEEE Regulations, retailers selling electrical goods must either take back an old item free in store when you buy a like-for-like replacement, or pay into a scheme that funds local recycling centres instead. Some will collect your old TV when delivering the new one, sometimes for a fee, and some large electrical retailers accept old tech in store for free. Check the details when you buy.

CRT televisions contain several kilograms of leaded glass in the tube, along with other hazardous materials, and they are classed as hazardous waste. They need to be dismantled at specialist facilities so the lead can be dealt with safely. They are also very heavy, which is why many people prefer to have them collected.

You have a legal duty to make sure your waste goes to someone authorised to take it. Check that whoever collects it is a registered waste carrier. In England, householders whose waste is fly-tipped after giving it to an unregistered collector can be fined up to £600 through a fixed penalty, or more if prosecuted.

Yes, if it still works and is reasonably recent. Many charity shops will not accept TVs because of electrical safety testing, but some reuse charities, community groups and online marketplaces will. Very old CRT sets are sometimes wanted by retro gaming and video collectors. TVs that do not work should be recycled.

Yes. We can take the TV off its bracket, remove the bracket from the wall if you want, and take both away. Fixing holes are left tidy, ready for filling or for a new TV bracket. Let us know the screen size and how it is mounted when you ask for a quote.

It goes to a permitted WEEE treatment facility, where it is dismantled. Hazardous parts such as CRT glass and older mercury-containing backlights are separated and treated safely, and glass, metals, plastics and circuit boards are recovered for recycling.