Ready, set ... recycle your TV

Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (MCT) - It's time to make up your mind about that old TV set. It might have served you well over the years, but its analog tuner and over-the-air antenna will make it obsolete on June 12, when the federally mandated transition to all-digital TV broadcasts occurs _ unless you do something about it.

You can keep using the old analog set by adding a converter box (www.dtv2009.gov) and keeping your over-the-air antenna, or you can connect a cable or satellite service to it.

But if you choose to replace it with a new digital TV, what can you do with the old set? You can't just throw it away, because some models contain up to 8 pounds of lead.

Recycling is an obvious choice. Here are some others:

Repurpose it. Just because that old analog set won't receive digital TV signals anymore doesn't mean it has stopped working. Put it in a rec room and use it for video games or karaoke.

Watch movies. Hook up a DVD player or VCR and use it in a spare room for the kids or guests to watch prerecorded movies and TV shows. Or haul it to the cabin for the same purpose.

Donate it. A few charities and thrift stores might accept working televisions. Call the United Way for charities in your area that accept older TVs. Then call the charity to confirm before you drop it off.

Hack it. Hacked Gadgets (www. hackedgadgets.com) offers instructions on how to turn your old set into a plasma globe, a Tesla coil and three other gadgets suitable for a mad scientist's lab. Or Wacky Archives shows you step-by-step how to turn your vintage console into an aquarium (www.wackyarchives.com). Enter "old TV" in the search box at either site to find the write-ups.

Give it away. Maybe a friend, neighbor or relative can use it for one of the above purposes. Or list it for free on Freecycle (www.freecycle.org) or the free section at Craigslist (www.craigslist.org).

Sell it. Don't expect to get much. There's a glut of old TV sets being sold on Craigslist. But anything is better than what you have now _ an old analog TV set that needs some attention before June 12.

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© 2009, Star Tribune (Minneapolis)