buzzbishop
on - last edited on
In the world of greening consumer interests, we're all eager to make sure we properly collapse and sort the packaging that comes with every product we purchase. We pull the plastic liners out of cereal boxes before collapsing them, we rinse off the labels from peanut butter jars and we make sure the sticky bits of cheese are off the pizza box before it's put in the pile.
But when it comes to buying electronics, the best recycling you can do is by keeping the boxes and packaging stored in a safe place.
I'm in the midst of a move to Alberta and being the proud owner of multiple flat panel devices I discovered something interesting about the moving industry this week: if you dont have the original box, you're going to get dinged.
Flat panel tv's are very delicate devices and the movers are on the hook for things that get broken during the move, so they insist that flat panels are packed inside special wooden crates to cushion the ride. These crates can add over $100 to your moving tab, not a lot considering a move one province east is $8 000, but a surcharge you can avoid if you keep your packaging.
With the Super Bowl coming up next weekend, now is the annual time that plush new flat panel tv's are discounted and on sale. The week of the big game is almost as popular as boxing day to see big crates of cardboard crushed at the curb for the recycling truck to take away.
Police will tell you thieves like tor prowl the boxes to see who has something worth nicking. That may be one reason to keep the box in the basement, but the inevitable move is another.
Keep the box, the styrofoam, the little plastic bags the remote comes in and the ties for the cables. Keep the warranty, the instruction manual and the sheet covering the screen. If you ever move or want to resell the tv, they'll come in very, very handy. I promise you.
catch the buzz ... pass it on.
Photo by Lord Alex on Flickr.
