Government
of the District of Columbia
Executive Office of the Mayor
Office of Cable Television
3007 Tilden Street, N.W., Pod-P
Washington, D.C. 20008
NEWS
RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE January 30, 2009
CONTACT:
Linda Grant (DPW) 202.671.2375/desk; 497.1080/cell
Nancee
Lyons (DPW) 202.671.2637/desk; 369.6808/cell
Alan Heymann
(DDOE) 202.741.2136/desk; .669.5817/cell
Kenneth Borden
(OCT) 202.671.0057/desk
Mayor
Fenty, District Agencies Remind Residents to Recycle Unused TVs
Upcoming
Super Bowl and DTV Transition Likely to Boost New TV Purchases
Washington,
DC With the Super Bowl this weekend and the nation switching
to digital broadcasting, District residents who purchase new television
sets can recycle their old ones for free. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty,
the Department of Public Works (DPW), the District Department of
the Environment (DDOE) and the Office of Cable Television (OCT)
remind residents to bring unwanted sets to the Ft. Totten Transfer
Station, 4900 Bates Road, NE, or the Benning Road Transfer Station,
3200 Benning Road, NE, on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Many people
buy new TVs before the Super Bowl and with the upcoming federally
mandated switch from analog technology to digital broadcasting,
more residents than ever are likely to purchase a digital TV, and
they need a way to discard their unwanted sets, said DPW Director
William O. Howland, Jr. The District will recycle those unwanted
TVs free of charge if they bring them to either transfer station.
In addition
to televisions, residents may bring audio-video equipment, cell
phones, home office equipment, computers, computer parts and computer
components for end-of-life disposal or recycling. Television screens
must be intactnot cracked, punctured or shattered.
Electronics
recycling helps protect our planet, said DDOE Director George
S. Hawkins. Cathode-ray television sets contain an average
of four pounds of lead each. Dumping an old TV in a landfill, or
worse, a vacant lot, means the lead can end up in our groundwater
or air. Doing the right thing is absolutely free and it makes a
big difference.
Recycling electronics
creates additional markets that can have a direct impact on the
economy and the consumer, says Howland.
When residents
recycle their televisions were able to recover valuable materials,
including metal wiring, glass, and plastics, Howland said.
These materials can be used to make other electronic components
or new products.
All full-power
broadcast television stations in the United States are scheduled
to stop broadcasting on analog airwaves and begin broadcasting only
in digital by June 12, 2009. Once the DTV transition goes into effect,
residents who watch free, over-the-air television through a rooftop
antenna or rabbit ears will need to obtain a digital-to-analog
converter box, sign up for cable or satellite service, or buy a
digital television.
The DTV
transition will enable consumers to enjoy improved picture and sound
quality, plus more channels and programming, said OCT Director
Eric E. Richardson. Residents can learn more about the DTV transition
by visiting the Federal Communications Commissions website
at www.dtv.gov.
For a complete
list of acceptable recyclables, visit www.dpw.dc.gov or call 311.
####
For more information
regarding OCT, please visit the agencys website:
http://www.oct.dc.gov
OCT
is the District Government Agency responsible for regulating cable
television in the District, as well as the administration of the
Districts Government Access Channels TV-16 and TV-13 and the
Districts Education Access Channel DSTV. The mission of Office
of Cable Television (OCT) is to: (1) regulate the provision of "cable
service" in the District of Columbia (as that term is defined
by the District's cable television laws); (2) protect and advance
the cable service-related interests of the District and its residents;
and (3) produce and cablecast live and recorded video and other
programming by way of the District's public, educational and government
(PEG) cable channels.
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