Depot flooded with old TVs

Bunbury's waste depot has recently become home to dozens of unwanted plasma and analogue televisions as people opt for new flat screens to make the most of the recently introduced high-definition digital stations.

City of Bunbury manager of waste services Tony Battersby said there had been a significant increase in the number of old analogue televisions dropped off at the Nuytsia Avenue waste depot.

‘‘Many of the televisions are in fine working condition, but it seems some people are buying a new television rather than a set top box,’’ he said.

‘‘There is nothing wrong with them, they still pick up analogue stations but need a set top box to pick up digital.

‘‘It’s the choice of the consumer whether to buy a set top box or a new television, but it is only a few hundred dollars more to buy a new television.’’

Analogue televisions and sometimes plasmas, which would have cost hundreds of dollars when they were new, have been building up at the waste depot.

The site fills a shipping container with electronic waste, mostly televisions, every few weeks before it is sent to Perth for recycling.

Mr Battersby said around 95 per cent of what makes up the old television will be recycled and used again in new electronics.

‘‘They are broken down into their components and parts such as glass are reused in television screens,’’ he said.

Business at Bunbury Retravision has been flat out since last Thursday and store manager Luke Tucker said, while the store had experienced a spike in the sale of flat-screen televisions, the big seller was set top boxes.

‘‘We sold out on the Thursday digital came in,’’ Mr Tucker said.

‘‘Then we sold out on Friday and Saturday and we only got some in today (Tuesday).’’

Residents in theGreater Bunbury region have been enjoying the additional free-to-air stations since last Thursday but, going by the sales of set top boxes since the switch,many peoplewere not digital ready.

‘‘The urgency was more once the digital came in,’’ Mr Tucker said.

‘‘There was a big response from those who were waiting to see what happened and what they needed.

‘‘Some people upgraded to a new TV for ease of use.’’