Recycling centres feel effect of digital TV revolution

The switch to digital has sent the reception of old TV sets at Angus recycling centres rocketing.

As digital dawn broke for more than 200,000 households in the Angus transmitter area on Wednesday, it emerged that the weight of old sets being thrown in the area’s skips has risen by almost half since last year.

In the three months between April and June last year, Angus Council recycled just over 87 tonnes of TVs and computer screens at their centres.

For the same period this year the figure rocketed to more than 120 tonnes, and although the authority does not keep a tally of the number of dumped sets it is thought to be thousands.

“The TVs and computer screens are removed by Viridor, a sub-contractor of Repic, based in Perth,” a council spokesman said.

“There, they are broken down into different components and recycled.”