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How to get rid of a TV or computer monitor in Massachusetts

Checked November 2026 · by JUNKRUN, Melrose MA

Tube (CRT) sets banned; flat screens not
Flat illustration of a large dark flat-screen TV on a thin stand beside a smaller teal-framed computer monitor, on a cream background.

Short answer. Old tube TVs and CRT monitors are banned from the trash in Massachusetts. Flat screens are not on the state ban list, but towns run electronics programs for them, and many charge $10 to $43. Check your town first: Saugus takes TVs free at its CHaRM Center. Reading takes flat-screen monitors at the DPW garage. JunkRun takes a flat screen for $59 and a tube TV for $99, carried out from any floor, $159 minimum.

The Massachusetts rule

The state ban covers cathode ray tubes. 310 CMR 19.017(3) lists "Cathode Ray Tubes" (effective April 1, 2000) and requires that "all persons shall segregate CRTs from the solid waste stream." That means old tube TVs and tube computer monitors cannot be thrown out or sent through a hauler's trash truck. MassDEP's ban list names cathode ray tubes alongside other recyclables.

Flat-panel (LCD, LED, plasma) screens are not in the regulation's table. That does not make them trash: EPA says lithium-ion batteries and devices containing them should not go in household garbage. Winchester's Transfer Station lists televisions as an electronics item with fees. Before you recycle, delete personal information from smart TVs and any computer.

Free or cheap options

  1. Town drop-off. Saugus (free at the CHaRM Center), Stoneham ($20 at Stevens Street), Winchester ($10 to $25 by screen size), Lynn ($25 at the DPW), Reading (flat-screen monitors at the DPW garage). See the table.
  2. Retailer take-back. Some electronics retailers take old TVs and monitors; the fee and the rules differ by store and state, so call your store and ask the price before you drive.
  3. Hazardous waste days. Malden takes CRTs for $25 cash per unit on its seasonal Hazardous Waste Collection Day; see the Malden page for the current date.
  4. Donate a working TV. Few charities take TVs. Habitat's ReStore lists CDs, DVDs and DVD players under "donate elsewhere" and does not list TVs among accepted items. A neighbor or Buy Nothing group is the realistic route.

Typical municipal fees (checked November 2026)

DIY or hauled?

DIY: a 55-inch flat screen is light but fragile and often too wide for a back seat. Keep the box if you have it; wrap the screen face in a blanket and carry it upright, never flat. A CRT is the opposite problem: a tube TV is heavy and the glass contains lead, so do not drop or break it.

Hauled: a CRT, a wall-mounted set you cannot lift alone, or any job with other furniture, because a flat screen alone does not reach the minimum.

What JunkRun charges (checked November 2026 at junkrun.co/pricing)

$159 minimum pickup. One flat screen is $59 but the minimum is $159, so a TV only makes sense bundled: a TV ($59) plus a couch ($139) is $198, one trip. These are posted flat prices.

Related

Quick answers

Is it illegal to throw away a TV in Massachusetts?

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Tube TVs and CRT monitors are. 310 CMR 19.017(3) requires that "all persons shall segregate CRTs from the solid waste stream." Flat screens are not in that table, but EPA says lithium-ion batteries and devices containing them should not go in household garbage.

How do I recycle a TV for free in Massachusetts?

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Saugus residents can drop TVs, CRT monitors and computers off free at the CHaRM Center. Most other towns on this page that publish a fee charge $10 to $43.

What should I do with a smart TV before I get rid of it?

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EPA says to delete all personal information from electronics before you recycle or donate them.

Does Boston pick up old TVs?

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Yes, by appointment as a special item, up to 10 items per calendar year and 5 per appointment. The TV has to be freestanding, not in a box (boston.gov).

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