The Unnecessary Dumping of Analog Televisions
Come August 31, 2011, the roughly 10 per cent of Canadians who rely on rabbit ears or other types of antennas to watch television will need to buy an analog-to-digital converter box, replace their TV with a digital model, or subscribe to satellite or cable service to receive Canadian stations. The Canadian Radio- television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is requiring Canadian broadcasters to switch from analog to digital transmission. This will permit the available bandwidth to be reallocated more efficiently for purposes such as advanced wireless, open Internet access, and the transmission of public safety services for police and fire departments. Because US broadcasters were required to make the transition from analog to digital transmission by June 2009, Ontarians living near the Canada-US border are no longer able to use antennas to receive US television stations.
While affected television owners could adjust to the changeover simply by purchasing a $100 converter box, approaching transition deadlines appear, instead, to have driven many Ontarians near the Canada-US border to discard analog televisions in good working condition in favour of new digital sets. In October 2008, months before the US transition, one recycling depot in Windsor reported receiving old televisions faster than it could truck them away. This could be due to a lack of publicity about the availability of the converter box, the decreasing prices of LCD and plasma screen televisions, and the incorrect assumption by some Ontarians that their analog televisions would no longer continue to function.
Whatever the case, both the US and Canadian transition to digital broadcasting will likely lead to a dramatic increase in the amount of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) generated in Ontario. To ensure that usable televisions are not unnecessarily disposed of into Ontario’s waste stream (and WEEE program), MOE should actively promote the analog-to-digital converter box and publicize that analog televisions connected to satellite or cable service will continue to function. In the US, the federal government has distributed coupons to subsidize the purchase of converter boxes.
Unfortunately, neither the ministry’s website nor news releases make any mention of the transition or the ability of converter boxes to accommodate the transition without the purchase of a new television. MOE is missing an excellent opportunity to promote reuse over recycling and lessen the introduction of dangerous materials into Ontario’s landfills.
| This is an article from the 2008/09 Annual Report to the Legislature from the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. |
Citing This Article:
Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. 2009. "Taking a Byte out of E-Waste: The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
(WEEE) Program Plan." Building Resilience, ECO Annual Report, 2008-09. Toronto, ON : Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. 86-87.
