If you’re in the process of buying a new television or possibly outfitting your home with several new flat screens for Christmas, then you’ll probably have a few old TVs that you need to get rid of. So if you have an old analog TV just sitting there that you will never use again, now is a great time to think of an environmentally friendly way of disposing of your old television. If you’re at a loss for ideas on what you can do with your old televisions; here’s what to do.

Discard or Recycle It

Don’t stick your old set in a trash can or dumpster. It’s a waste of reusable materials, and adds potentially toxic matter (including lead and various metals) to landfills and water tables. In some localities, it’s illegal to dump TV and computer equipment in the regular trash.

Discard it properly, at an electronics recycling center in your area. Just do a quick search on the internet to easily find one or try one of these Web sites:

• Freecycle
• The Rethink Initiative
• Environment, Health and Safety Online

Hewlett-Packard and Sony now offer return-for-recycling programs for electronic products. See:

• HP Eco Solutions
• Sony Recycle

Sell It or Give It Away

You can sell your old television or simply give it away. Don’t expect a huge payoff for your analog TV on an auction Website or at a garage sale, thanks to the massive deflation in home electronics prices over the past decades. (Exception: A few classic models have become collectors’ items, such as the stylized Philco Predicta sets from the late 1950s.)

If you don’t need the money, consider donating your set to a local charity thrift store that can sell it, or to a nonprofit agency that can use it. You can donate it to a nursing home, low-income housing provider, school, arts agency, or even a conceptual artist working on a retro-modern piece. These electronics donation and recycling centers make it easier than ever to get rid of your unwanted electronics.

Or you could keep it in the family, as a hand-me-down to an adult child or as an extra set in the den, home office, kids’ room, or guest room. Just remember: No matter where your old TV goes, its built-in analog tuner will be useless when analog telecasts end. When that day comes, the old set will display video only if it’s connected to a cable or satellite box, an external digital tuner, a VCR, or a DVD player, so it’s not exactly useless as someone else could probably give your old television a good home. As there are plenty of ways to recycle your old television instead of just junking it, you can now buy that new television with a clear conscience knowing that your old television will be put to good re-use and not be taking up valuable space in a landfill.