An electronics collection post sits at the storefront of a Best Buy.

An electronics collection post sits at the storefront of a Best Buy in the Atlantic Center Mall in Brookly. The retailer has begun charging a $25 fee for every used TV and computer monitor it accepts for recycling.

(Robert Stolarik | The New York Times)

Syracuse, N.Y. — Best Buy, one of the few retailers to accept used televisions and computer monitors for recycling at no charge, has changed its policy and is now charging a $25 fee.

On Feb. 1, Best Buy began charging $25 for each TV and computer monitor it accepts at its stores for recycling. The electronics retailer has always only accepted CRT (tube) televisions up to 32 inches and flat-panel, LCD, plasma and LED TVs up to 50 inches.

In two states — Illinois and Pennsylvania — Best Buy is no longer recycling any TVs or monitors because of state laws that bar it from collecting fees to do so, the retailer said. (Best Buy is still not charging a fee in California because that state requires consumers to pay an electronic waste recycling fee up front when they purchase a TV or monitor.)

Best Buy said the new fee does not apply to its free haul-away service for customers who purchase a TV at Best Buy and have it delivered to their home.

The company said many other electronic products — such as batteries, ink cartridges, computers and printers — will continue to be recycled for free at its stores.

In a blog post on Best Buy's website, Laura Bishop, vice president of public affairs and sustainability, said the fee will help cover the increasing cost of managing TV and monitor disposal through its network of stores, distribution centers and recycling partners.

"E-waste volume is rising, commodity prices are falling and global outlets for recycled glass, a key component of TVs and monitors, have dramatically declined," she said.

Making matters worse, municipalities are cutting their recycling programs for budget reasons, driving more people to drop their used TVs and monitors at Best Buy stores, she said.

"While providing recycling solutions for our customers is a priority, Best Buy should not be the sole e-cycling provider in any given area, nor should we assume the entire cost," she said.

Best Buy says it has voluntarily operated the most comprehensive e-waste recycling service in the United States since 2009.

The retailer's policy change leaves consumers in the Syracuse area with few choices for getting rid of old televisions or monitors, especially CRT models, for free. Among them:

• The Salvation Army store at 2433 Erie Blvd. E. in Syracuse still accepts TVs and monitors for free.

• Battery World at 5820 E. Molloy Road in DeWitt still accepts flat-screen TVs and monitors for free, but it charges 26 cents a pound for tube TVs (approximately $20 for a 30-inch tube television).

• Staples stores accept monitors for free, but they do not accept TVs at all.

Kristen Lawton, public information officer for the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency, said local elected officials occasionally arrange electronics recycling events in conjunction with business sponsors. Assemblyman Al Stirpe, Sunnking Electronics and Time Warner Cable held one Jan. 9 at the North Syracuse Central School District bus complex.

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