A new television arrives and the old one goes in the spare room, where it stays for a year.
Part of that is inertia. Part of it is that disposing of a television is genuinely less obvious than disposing of most things, because it cannot go in a bin and it is heavy enough to be awkward.
The options are more straightforward than they look, and two of them cost nothing.
Why a television cannot go in the bin
Televisions fall under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment regulations, usually shortened to WEEE.
The rules exist because screens contain materials that should not go to landfill and materials worth recovering. Older sets in particular contain components requiring careful handling, and modern panels contain metals and plastics that can be recycled if they reach the right facility.
WEEE places obligations on producers and retailers rather than on you, which is what makes several of the free options possible.
Wipe it before it goes anywhere
This step gets skipped and it should not be.
A smart television holds more than people realise. Accounts signed into streaming apps, saved passwords, the home wifi credentials, viewing history, and on some sets voice assistant settings linked to other accounts.
Before the set leaves the house, sign out of every app individually rather than relying on a reset alone, then run a factory reset from the settings menu. On most sets this sits under support, system, or general settings, and it is usually described as resetting to initial or factory settings.
Do this whether the set is being recycled, sold or given away. A recycler will not do it for you.
Retailer takeback when you buy a new one
Retailers selling electrical goods have obligations around taking back the equivalent old item.
In practice this usually means that when a new television is delivered, the retailer will take the old one away, either free or for a small charge, provided it is arranged at the point of order rather than mentioned to the driver on the day.
This is the least effort option by a distance, and it is the one most often missed because the question is not asked at checkout. If you are buying a set for delivery, ask about takeback when you order.
Council household waste centres
Every local authority runs household waste recycling centres that accept electrical items, including televisions, free of charge from householders.
A few things to check before setting off. Many sites now require booking a slot in advance. Some require proof of residence. Larger vehicles and vans sometimes need a permit, which catches people borrowing a van to move a large screen.
Some councils also run a bulky waste collection service that will take a television from the kerbside, usually for a fee.
If it still works
A television that works is worth more as a television than as raw material.
Charity shops accept working electrical items in many areas, though they need to be able to test them, so not every branch takes them. Reuse organisations and furniture reuse schemes often will where charity shops cannot.
Selling or giving away locally is straightforward for a working set, particularly smaller sizes that suit a bedroom, kitchen or a caravan. There is more on what makes a smaller set suitable for those spaces in the 32 inch TV guide.
Either way, the factory reset comes first.
Before you replace it at all
Worth a moment's thought, because a fair number of televisions get replaced for reasons that are fixable.
A picture that looks poor is sometimes a settings problem rather than a panel problem, and shop-floor picture modes are the usual culprit. Sound that has become hard to follow is often a mode setting or a case for a soundbar rather than a new set.
A set that has stopped receiving channels may need a retune rather than replacing. And a television still within warranty should go through the manufacturer before anything else. Cello's cover runs to 12 months as standard, extending to three years on smart televisions of 32 inches and above and all Traveller models where the product was registered within 28 days of purchase.
Moving the thing safely
Large screens are more fragile than they look, and the panel is the part that breaks.
Carry it upright rather than flat, take the stand off if it is coming with you, and get a second person for anything above around 43 inches. Pressure on the centre of the screen is what cracks panels, so hold it by the edges.
If the original box is still around, that is what it was designed to travel in.
The short version
Reset it, then pick whichever of the free routes is easiest. Retailer takeback if you are having something delivered, the household waste centre if you are not, and reuse if it still works.
You can browse the current range at Cello Electronics or read more in the Knowledge Centre.