In the dark corners of every American garage, attic or closet lies piles of antiquated electronics. With the transition from analog to digital broadcasting, it's likely that some old TVs will be making their way to these dark corners as well.
While fun for all, gadgets and electronics are chock full of toxic chemicals and components like mercury. Dump these into a common landfill - as was, until recently, the regular practice - and these chemicals will eventually leach into the ground causing who knows what kind of environmental damage. So don't toss your gadgets - recycle them. Of course, you can't just drop them into the recycling bin, but thankfully the Consumer Electronics Association has whipped up this handy resource:
myGreenElectronics.com - which lets you plug in your zip code and find a local electronics recycling solution near you.
In fact, you can search for local centers right here:
If your gadgets still work, consider free-cycling them (i.e. giving them away for free). Go to
www.freecycle.org and you'll be able to give away electronics (or anything else for that matter) to someone who needs them (crazy collector types, probably).