Old televisions actively reused and recycled in Finland: “Last year almost 99% of television waste was reused”

According to a recent survey, Finns actively recycle their old televisions. 75 per cent of respondents felt recycling an old television is important or very important, and 81 per cent knew where to take their old devices for recycling. Respondents also considered it easy to recycle a television in Finland. 61 per cent of respondents preferred municipal recycling centres, where televisions can be taken conveniently and free of charge.

These attitudes are also reflected in practice: 63 per cent of respondents said they had recycled their previous television. The majority of respondents who had not recycled their televisions said they had sold the old television or used it at a summer house.

Young people happy to give old televisions to family or friends, older people prefer using a television until it stops working

The importance of recycling was highlighted in all age groups, but recycling methods varied according to the respondent’s age. In the age group 50 to 59 years, 43 per cent of respondents said they buy a new television only when their old television stops working. In the age group 18 to 29 years, 38 per cent of respondents preferred donating their televisions to family or friends, while only 12 per cent of respondents aged 60 to 69 years considered this important. Young respondents were also the most eager to sell their old televisions. Of older respondents, 39 per cent considered it not at all important, while only 8 per cent of young respondents said they could never sell their old television. None of the respondent groups showed great interest in donating an old television to charity.

“Recycling old, broken televisions is very important. Nearly all parts of the material used in discarded televisions and monitors can be further used. In 2020, approximately 98 per cent of the materials in recycled equipment was reused as raw material for industry, and only less than one per cent was directly incinerated or disposed of. A part (1.2 per cent) of the devices is also repaired for reuse,” says Arto Puumalainen, managing director of SERTY, a producer association for importers and manufacturers of electrical and electronic equipment.

Finns usually replace their televisions with a new one when the technical features of the old device no longer meet their needs (45 per cent of respondents). 36 per cent of respondents said they buy a new television only after their old one stops working. Only 7 per cent of respondents changed

televisions to keep up with the latest technology. On average, people in Finland change televisions every 5–10 years.

Finnish households fairly well prepared for the HD transition

In the near future, free-to-air terrestrial TV channels will fully migrate to DVB-T2 technology that enables high-definition (HD) broadcasts. HD broadcasts come with a sharper image and livelier colours. After the transition to DVB-T2, televisions will need to be equipped with an HD tuner. The majority of Finnish households (87 per cent) already have at least one television that is compatible with the new technology required by future broadcasts. The share is slightly lower (74 per cent) in households receiving only terrestrial television.

“No final date has yet been set for the transition to HD. The decision is made by television companies,” says Tiina Aaltonen, project manager responsible for the HD transition at Traficom.

* The survey was conducted by surveying the Norstat consumer panel in October 2021. Responses were gathered from 1,109 Finns aged between 18 and 69 years. The survey used quota sampling to ensure the sample was representative at national level in relation to gender, age, residential area and socio-economic factors.