Millions of Americans are expected to upgrade to high-definition televisions over the holidays. It's the wave of the future, but there are concerns about what that wave will leave behind.

Taking the HD plunge has consumers asking themselves a lot of questions, such as plasma vs. LCD.

But the other question is: What to do with the old set?

All too often people simply dump their old unwanted set, and they have hundreds of ways of doing that. Sometimes they go out into the public forests, sometimes to a local park to dump the old set. Some don't even bother to do that and just drop it off in front of someone else's house.

Televisions and other products contain hazardous materials such as lead, cadmium, mercury, brominated flame retardants.

Government agencies say when properly disposed of at licensed recyclers, such as Seattle's Total Reclaim, those chemicals can be harmlessly removed and reused. But when they end up on the street or the woods, they leach their toxins into nature.

It's been a problem for years, but with the new HD technology kicking in, it's over the top.

Workers at one appliance store said they are selling 40 or more TV's per day. Nationwide, consumers are expected to buy 20 to 30 million or more new sets next year.

Local agencies say they're ready to handle the discards. For a fee of around $20 to $30, they'll properly recycle the sets.

That's the right thing to do, but some agencies are concerned that the wrong way may seem right to someone who's just spent hundreds on a new TV.

Some stores, such as Best Buy, offer to take the old set for you if you have them deliver your new one.