Normally the sort of advice I give is geared toward keeping devices firing on all cylinders, whether that means optimizing or troubleshooting them. I’m a big believer in avoiding disposable culture. While I may not be the best environmentalist, I hate the idea of tossing out a few hundred dollars’ worth of electronics.

That said, all TVs have a finite lifespan. Whether it’s in a few years or a decade, a set will inevitably fail. Because it happens so rarely, though, some people aren’t sure how to dispose of one safely. You’ve got a few options, some of which are unconventional but still viable.

How to dispose of a dead TV

Don’t take shortcuts

Your first step should be to verify the hardware is actually dead, or at least unusable. If you’re seeing dead pixels, permanent lines, or conspicuous burn-in, there’s probably nothing you can do. If you’re getting a blank image, however, you could be dealing with something as simple as an HDMI handshake error or external device glitches, especially if you’re still getting audio. Try power-cycling devices or swapping cables and ports, as well as looking up potential software issues. Bear in mind that some faults may not be worth repairing — after parts and labor, the money you’d spend on fixing a $500 TV might be better put towards an upgrade.

What you should never do with a TV is simply toss it in a dumpster or out with your regular trash. While modern flatpanels may contain fewer dangerous materials than older sets, they still contain toxic chemicals. A single LCD or OLED isn’t going to do much damage — yet heaped in a landfill with other electronics, there’s the potential for environmental contamination, affecting humans and wildlife. There are also recyclable materials inside like gold and copper, some of which can be valuable when extracted in bulk.

Once you’ve declared your set DOA, see if any electronics retailers can dispose of it for you, whether that means dropping it off at an outlet or selecting a haul-away service when you buy a replacement. There’s the possibility that some of these options will cost you money. If you’re really lucky, a store may offer credit towards a purchase.

The next best option is bringing your TV to a private or government-run e-waste facility. In Austin, Texas for example, you can schedule an appointment to drop electronics off at the Recycle & Reuse Drop-off Center, or let entities like Goodwill take care of it. Research the options in your city before making a decision. If it’s impractical to haul your TV away personally — say, because you bought a 100-inch behemoth — you may need to pay a junk removal service, making sure they’re prepared to deal with e-waste.

Last on my list is selling your TV for parts on sites like eBay, Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace. You might think this would be the leading choice. Unfortunately, you’re not going to get much money in exchange, and the only legitimate buyers are going to be hobbyists and repair specialists. There’s even the risk that someone will miss your “for parts only” warning and get angry.

A few notes on preparing your TV for disposal

Typically there’s not much you have to do to get a TV ready for disposal, but there are a few things. For one, remove any attached accessories unless you’re prepared to recycle those too. That means antennas, streaming sticks, and any cables that aren’t the power cord.

Where you really need to be careful is transport. If you’re handling that yourself, measure your vehicle to see if the TV will fit, and take precautions to make sure the set won’t get damaged along the way. That might feel a little silly, given that the device doesn’t work anyway — but the last thing you or anyone else wants to deal with is glass shards from a sudden impact. If you can’t slide a TV inside your vehicle, you’ll need to take extra steps to secure it on your roof rack or truck bed. Don’t be like the person I saw driving with a TV duct-taped to their car (seriously).