Where to Recycle a TV in Central Florida

An old TV is one of the hardest things to get rid of. It is heavy, it is awkward, it does not fit in the recycling cart, and nobody wants it for free.


Here are the actual options in Central Florida, what each one costs, and the one step almost everyone skips before handing over a smart TV.


Start here: do not put it in the recycling cart

Orange County is explicit that electronics do not go in the blue lid recycling cart. An item counts as electronic waste if it contains a circuit board, and that includes televisions.


Curbside recycling crews are not equipped for TVs, and the screens contain materials that should not go through a sorting facility.


Free county drop-off options

Orange County

Orange County residents can drop off electronic waste free of charge at two household hazardous waste locations:


  •  Orange County Landfill, 5901 Young Pine Road, Orlando, FL 32829. Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Porter Transfer Station, 1326 Good Homes Road, Orlando, FL 32818. Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.


An attendant is on site to help with unloading. The county also holds community collection events throughout the year.


Two things to know. The service is for residents only, and no commercial waste is accepted. And rear-projection television sets cannot be recycled through this program. Those older big-box projection TVs go out as a large item curbside pickup instead.


Questions: Orange County's Solid Waste hotline is (407) 836-6601.


Seminole County

Seminole County residents bring electronics to the Central Transfer Station at 1950 State Road 419 in Longwood, open Monday through Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Household hazardous waste disposal is free for Seminole County residents.


Note that electronics go to the Central Transfer Station only. The Seminole County Landfill in Geneva does not take them. Quantity limits apply at the hazardous waste tunnel, so call ahead if you have a pile rather than a single set.


Osceola County

Osceola County operates a drop-off site at 750 S. Bass Road in Kissimmee serving county residents, including Kissimmee and St. Cloud. NOTE: Confirm current electronics and TV acceptance and hours with the county before dropping off


Everywhere else

If you are outside these counties, search your county's solid waste page for "household hazardous waste" rather than "recycling." That is almost always where electronics live.


Retailer take-back

Best Buy runs the most widely available retail program. Televisions and monitors are in their fee category, currently listed at $29.99 per item, with a limit of two TVs per household per day and size restrictions on what stores will accept. Terms vary by state and have changed more than once, so check Best Buy's recycling page or call your store before loading the car.


Goodwill and most office supply chains do not accept televisions, even when they take other electronics. Call first rather than driving over.


Why TVs cost money to recycle when other electronics do not

This is the part that surprises people.


Older CRT tube televisions contain leaded glass, which is expensive to handle and has almost no resale market. Newer flat panels are lighter but contain thin layers of mixed materials that are costly to separate, and the recovered material is worth less than the labor it takes to get it out.


Best Buy put this plainly when it introduced TV and monitor fees: recycling costs for these products had risen sharply and the program was no longer breaking even.


So when a recycler charges for a tube TV, that is not opportunism. It is the one category where the math genuinely does not work in the recycler's favor.


Before you let go of a smart TV: wipe it

Almost nobody does this.


A smart TV stores your Wi-Fi network name and password, and it stays signed in to streaming accounts, app logins and sometimes a payment method. Handing it off without clearing that is the same mistake as donating a laptop without wiping the drive.


Run the factory reset in the settings menu before the TV leaves your house. On most sets it is under Settings, then General or Support, then Reset. Sign out of streaming apps first if the menu gives you that option.


If the screen is broken and you cannot navigate the menus, tell the recycler. A legitimate one will have a process for it.


For businesses: different rules

County household hazardous waste programs are for residents. Orange County states plainly that no commercial waste is accepted, and other Florida counties carry the same restriction.


If you are an office, a school, a hotel, a medical practice or a property manager clearing out displays, monitors and TVs, you need a commercial recycler. You may pay for some categories, usually the old tube sets, but the pickup, documentation and proper downstream handling come with it.


That matters more than people expect. Any device that stored data, including smart displays and conference room screens, should leave with documentation showing what happened to it.


What OCM Recycle handles, and what we charge to recycle tvs

OCM Recycle has provided electronics recycling and data destruction for Florida businesses since 2004, from our facility in Oldsmar, with pickup service across the state including the Orlando area.


On televisions, here is our pricing in plain terms:


  • LCD and LED flat screen TVs: no charge. Bring them or include them in a pickup.
  • CRT tube TVs: $25 each. That covers the cost of handling leaded glass, which is the one category where recycling genuinely costs more than the recovered material is worth.


We also accept computer monitors, computers, laptops, servers, printers, copiers, mobile phones, tablets, fax machines and networking equipment.


If drives are coming along with the TVs, hard drive shredding is $2 per drive with a $150 minimum per job, and every data-bearing device gets serial number tracking, a final disposition report, and a certificate of data destruction.  If you would like us to perform a Hard Drive wipe to NIST 800-88 standards, we can at no charge.


Pricing as of October 2026. Call (813) 855-2233 to schedule or to ask about a specific item.


FAQ


Can I put a TV in my curbside recycling bin in Orlando?


No. Orange County states that electronics do not belong in the blue lid recycling cart. Anything containing a circuit board, televisions included, has to go to a household hazardous waste drop-off location or event.


Where can I drop off a TV for free in Orange County?


Orange County residents can drop off electronic waste at no charge at the Orange County Landfill on Young Pine Road and the Porter Transfer Station on Good Homes Road, both open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.


What do I do with an old rear-projection TV?


Orange County does not accept rear-projection sets at its household hazardous waste drop-offs. Residents can set them out for large item curbside pickup instead.


Does Best Buy charge to recycle a TV?


Televisions and monitors fall in Best Buy's fee category, currently listed at $29.99 per item, with daily limits and size restrictions. Terms differ by state and have changed before, so confirm with your local store first.


Does OCM Recycle charge to take a TV?


Flat screen LCD and LED TVs are accepted at no charge. CRT tube TVs are $25 each. There is no per-household daily limit, which matters for offices, schools and property managers clearing out more than a couple of sets.


Should I reset a smart TV before recycling it?


Yes. Smart TVs retain your Wi-Fi credentials and stay signed in to streaming and app accounts. Run a factory reset before the TV leaves your home.


Can a business use the county drop-off sites?


No. Orange County's household hazardous waste program accepts residential waste only. Businesses need a commercial electronics recycler.


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