The television finally gave up the ghost. It was a hulking 40 inch rear-projection Akai, about seven years old, that resided in one corner of the family room. It was known as The Beast, as it was simply mammoth and defied all attempts to move it. As best we could tell, it had its own gravitational field.
From an energy efficiency standpoint, The Beast was a dinosaur. It could do high-definition video, barely, but as a projection beam it also consumed power continually, keeping the projection tubes warm, so that when you hit the “on” button, it didn’t take five minutes to warm up and eventually give you “Jeopardy- Tourette’s Week” on the screen. It served us well enough and after seven years, The Beast didn’t owe us anything.
A couple of weeks ago, we hit “On” and were rewarded by the sound of an electronic pop and the smell of needlessly hot electronics. Eventually a feeble, misshapen image of Alex Trebek came to life, distorted and coloured like the beachfront at Pensacola, Florida. Since the Magic Blue Smoke had escaped from the box, there was no real way to fix it, unless you capture all the Magic Blue Smoke and put it back in the box, we knew that the Time Had Come for The Beast.
In the seven years not being in the market for a TV, things had of course, changed. We’re not gong to argue the merits of plasma versus LED versus LCD, versus projection, or 1080i versus 1080p on composite or HDMI. That is the job of the geek fanboys.
All we wanted was an equivalent-sized screen that would produce good to very good images, including HD and good sound quality. (As both of us have worked in film and television, we’ve been spoiled with proper, calibrated displays and engineered sound environments in editing theatres. We can tell the difference.)
Off to the Mega-Retailer we go. One of our first decisions was manufacturer: We like Tier1 manufacturers: They have a reputation and warranties they actually stand behind. Yes, the Tier1 folks are a little more expensive, but you pay for the support and warranty. On an expensive piece of kit, that warranty is important.
The store Extra-Special Platinum Support Finger Up Your Butt, is not. Electronics either work out of the box or they don’t. If it lives more than 30 days, you’re good for five to seven years, so the store warranty is an expensive add-on that buys you nothing.
Having settled on Samsung and the size (46 inch thanks for asking) we then worked our way through paying. After listening to the pitch for the extended warranty and politely declining it, we came to an interesting additional charge: Stewardship Ontario Recycling Charge: $26.25, before taxes.
If you buy a new television in Ontario, you get dinged for the privilege of having your old one recycled. Not that they’ll come to the house and get it, or pick it up at the curb on Green Box day, but a per-tax hit for the sheer pleasure of contributing to the economy by purchasing a television.
Conceptually, the Stewardship Ontario group collect these eco fees from the retailer and this funds the proper disposal of 22 categories of household waste. For example, a 5.5 pound fire extinguisher has an eco-fee charged by the retailer. In this case, the fee is $6.66 over the price, before tax. Yes, it is an unfortunate number, but that’s what it is.
Then the Feds and Province tax you on the Environmental Fee.
We’re not annoyed at the fee. It is important that waste that can be recycled or reused is recycled or reused. In the not too distant past, electronic waste was shipped to fourth world countries to be “recycled” With Stewardship Ontario, we’re reasonably certain that some five year old in Sierra Leone won’t be setting fire to The Beast to extract its few cents of copper, burning off the plastic over an open fire in the dump next door to the corrugated tin shanty called home.
When we got the new tv home, we had to get the old one out. For those who are not familiar with the old style projection televisions, they’re huge, close to 12 cubic feet of big, plastic box with a screen: Your fridge is probably 17 cubic feet by comparison. The Beast didn’t weigh very much, perhaps 50 pounds, but the size of it is daunting.
After much tugging, wiggling and sliding, we got the Beast into the back of the vehicle and drove it over to the retailer. We politely asked for a wheeled cart of some kind to get the Beast into the store from the furthest reaches of the parking lot. The Manager asked what was it we were bringing in, so we explained the untimely passing of the The Beast, the purchase of a new product and our current request for some help in getting The Beast into the store for proper, environmentally sustainable, eco-friendly recycling of the plastic, metal and electronics as promised by the $26.25 Eco Fee.
“We’re only obligated to take televisions up to 32 inches.” said the Manager. After a short, but important and emphatic exchange of views, the Manger gave us the consideration of a wheeled cart to bring The Beast into the store. He even offered to have two of his warehouse staff assist us, which was politely declined. Our beloved niece said “I’ve got the pipes to haul it, we just need the cart.”. So we did.
As for the successor to The Beast? We haven’t named it yet, but it sits contentedly in the corner of the family room, the cabling, speakers and controls all integrated into one remote, providing a very pleasurable multimedia experience.
In fact, we’re watching the British GP right now. Not in HD though, as our cable provider does not permit their best customers to get HD unless you pay through the nose for extra HD channels. But that is another post.
The Beast is now in the loving arms of the Stewardship Ontario program, being assessed for the plastic, metal and electronics content of the carcass. Eventually, The Beast will return as drainage pipe, copper wire or a cat litter box, but for now it rests in state in a warehouse somewhere.
Thank you to The Beast. You served us well.
And the Stewardship Ontario Eco Fee? We have collected a few hundredweight of old, broken and superannuated electronics that we’re going to be dropping off at the various depots over the next few weeks.
If you’re gong to zing me with a fee for my new television and then have the audacity to tax me federally and provincially for the willingness to make the right decision regarding electronic waste products, then be assured, I will take full advantage of the service. I think I have some weapons-grade plutonium somewhere down in the basement that I don’t need anymore.
There are several hard drives, power supplies, laser printers, old computer chassis, hubs, routers and switches that are going to wind up in your waste stream. If you could, please warehouse them next to The Beast.
RoadDave 