Disposal Guide

How to Dispose of a TV

Pennsylvania law says it cannot go in the trash. Here is where it can go.

Pennsylvania has banned televisions from ordinary trash since January 24, 2013, under the Covered Device Recycling Act. The ban also covers desktop and laptop computers, monitors, and computer peripherals. The City of Pittsburgh does not collect TVs at the curb. City residents can book an appointment with the City's vendor, Noble Environmental, which lists TVs at $0.35 per pound, or use a Pennsylvania Resources Council Hard to Recycle event, which lists $35 per flat-screen or CRT television.

The TV is the one item where putting it at the curb is not just unwanted, it is against Pennsylvania law. Here is what the law actually says, where a TV can go in the Pittsburgh area, and how to avoid driving across town for nothing.

Quick Facts

PA law: Covered Device Recycling Act
Trash ban in force since: January 24, 2013
City of Pittsburgh curbside: Not collected
City vendor fee (Noble): $0.35 per lb for TVs
PRC event fee: $35 flat-screen or CRT

Your Options, Start to Finish

1.Find a DEP-listed electronics collection site or event
The Pennsylvania DEP publishes county-by-county listings of electronics collection sites and events. That is the route the law is built around, and it is the one that definitely handles a TV legally.
DEP warns that accepted materials, dates, fees, and quantity limits vary by program. Call before you load a 90-pound projection TV into the car, and say the screen type and size on the phone.
2.Donate it if it still works
A working flat-panel TV is genuinely wanted by families furnishing a first apartment, and DEP itself recommends donation for usable electronics. It skips the recycling problem entirely.
Working means it powers on and shows a picture, not that it worked last time you checked three years ago. Nobody wants a CRT, no matter how well it works.
3.Check the manufacturer's take-back program
The Covered Device Recycling Act requires manufacturers to provide recycling programs for covered computers, monitors, peripherals, and televisions.
A manufacturer program existing does not mean every retailer takes back every TV at the counter. Look up the specific brand's program rather than assuming the store will handle it.
4.Hire a removal crew
The TV leaves the wall or the basement, gets carried out, and gets routed to a recycler that handles covered devices. Old rear-projection sets are two-person lifts and this is what that equipment is for.
Ask directly where it goes. A hauler that shrugs and says landfill is telling you they are breaking Pennsylvania law with your TV.

Where a Pittsburgh resident can take a TV

The City of Pittsburgh doesn't collect TVs, monitors, or printers with trash, recycling, or bulk pickup. Since 2026 the City's e-waste vendor is Noble Environmental. City residents pre-register for an appointment at nobleenviro.com/pittsburgh or 412-567-6566, then use the weekly drop-off at 3001 Railroad Street on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30 to 6:30 PM, a community event when one is scheduled, or a curbside pickup. Noble's published fees are $0.35 per pound for TVs and other e-waste, free for computers and laptops, and a $25 base fee plus per-item fees for curbside service, payable by card only. The Pennsylvania Resources Council's Hard to Recycle events list $35 per flat-screen or CRT television and $45 for a projection or console set. The City also lists Evolution E-Cycling, which takes TVs only at its South Side location on Mary Street. Fees and dates change, so check the program's page before you load the car.

What the Covered Device Recycling Act actually covers

Pennsylvania's CDRA covers consumer televisions with a screen of at least four inches, in every technology: CRT, plasma, LCD, LED, DLP, and projection. It also covers desktop computers, laptops, monitors, printers, and computer peripherals like keyboards. Those devices are prohibited from disposal at municipal waste facilities, which is why a hauler who knows the rules will not take a TV with the regular trash. It does not automatically cover phones, game consoles, stereos, or microwaves, though a given local program may still accept them. The disposal ban took effect on January 24, 2013. Two bills that would change the state's e-waste rules, Senate Bill 856 and House Bill 2553, were still pending in Harrisburg as of October 2026, so the 2010 law is the one in force.

Old CRT and projection sets are the hard case

A tube TV or a rear-projection set is heavy, contains leaded glass, and is the single item collection programs are most likely to refuse or charge extra for. A 32-inch CRT can run over 100 pounds with the weight concentrated in the front glass, which makes it awkward and genuinely dangerous to carry down stairs alone. If you have one of these, call the program first and ask specifically about CRTs before you load it. Flat panels are easier everywhere.

What it costs to have one taken

Electronics carry a real recycling cost, which is why some collection programs charge a fee per television while others are free, and why a removal quote for a TV reflects where it has to go afterward rather than just the carry. A wall-mounted flat panel coming down from a living room is a different job from a projection set in a finished basement. Ask for the quote against the actual set and the actual room.

How to Dispose of a TV FAQs

Can I put a TV in the trash in Pennsylvania?

No. Pennsylvania's Covered Device Recycling Act has banned televisions from ordinary trash statewide since January 24, 2013. The ban covers consumer televisions with a screen of four inches or more, whether CRT, plasma, LCD, LED, DLP, or projection, plus desktop and laptop computers, monitors, and computer peripherals. A TV has to go to an electronics recycling program, collection site, or collection event.

Where can I recycle a TV in Pittsburgh?

City of Pittsburgh residents can book the City's e-waste vendor, Noble Environmental. Pre-register at nobleenviro.com/pittsburgh or 412-567-6566, then drop off at 3001 Railroad Street on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30 to 6:30 PM or pay for a curbside pickup. Noble lists TVs at $0.35 per pound. Pennsylvania Resources Council Hard to Recycle events also take TVs, at $35 per flat-screen or CRT set. Outside the City, start with the Pennsylvania DEP's county-by-county list of collection sites and call before you drive.

Is it free to recycle a TV?

Usually not in Pittsburgh. The City's vendor, Noble Environmental, lists TVs at $0.35 per pound at its drop-off, so dropping off a 50-pound set comes to $17.50. Curbside pickup costs more: a $25 base fee plus a per-item fee. Pennsylvania Resources Council Hard to Recycle events list $35 per flat-screen or CRT television and $45 for a projection or console set. Computers and laptops are free through Noble. Pennsylvania DEP says a collection site may charge a fee when it isn't a retailer or part of a manufacturer's program.

Do computer monitors and printers follow the same rule?

Yes. The Covered Device Recycling Act covers desktop computers, laptops, computer monitors, printers, and computer peripherals such as keyboards alongside televisions. All of them are prohibited from ordinary municipal waste disposal in Pennsylvania and go through the same recycling programs.

Can you pick up an old TV?

Yes, and we route covered devices to a recycler rather than a landfill because Pennsylvania law requires it. Tell us the screen size, whether it is a flat panel or a tube or projection set, and what floor it is on. Call (412) 226-4500 and you will get an arrival window and a quote on that call.

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Disposing of a TV in Pittsburgh, PA. Pennsylvania's Covered Device Recycling Act has banned televisions from ordinary municipal solid waste statewide since January 24, 2013. The City of Pittsburgh does not collect TVs at the curb. City residents can pre-register with the City's e-waste vendor, Noble Environmental (nobleenviro.com/pittsburgh or 412-567-6566), for drop-off at 3001 Railroad Street on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30 to 6:30 PM, with TVs listed at $0.35 per pound; Pennsylvania Resources Council Hard to Recycle events list $35 per flat-screen or CRT television. Covered televisions include any screen of at least four inches in CRT, plasma, LCD, LED, DLP, or projection format, and the Act also covers desktop computers, laptops, monitors, printers, and computer peripherals. Residents must use an electronics recycling program, collection site, or collection event; the Pennsylvania DEP publishes county-by-county listings, and accepted materials, dates, and fees vary by program so call ahead. Working televisions can be donated instead. CRT and projection sets are the most likely to be refused or to carry a fee. Steel City Cleanouts removes televisions across Pittsburgh and routes them to a recycler. Call (412) 226-4500 for a free quote.

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