Chris Rodinis
February 5th, 2013

http://1800recycling.com/2013/01/leaded-crt-tv-monitors-recycled/

Many states, including California, have laws about disposal of CRT monitors and TV’s. If a CRT is just thrown into  a Dumpster or trash bin, then a crime is committed.

The purpose of the law is to prevent CRTs in landfills because the lead inside them can contaminate groundwater.

Of all the e-waste recycling, CRT recycling is the most hassle. The most onerous. Eventually there will be no more CRT recycling, however, for now, CRTs  are recycled in the same way that we all pay taxes. It is simply unavoidable.

Typically, a CRT can easily weigh more than 50 pounds which adds to the aggravation when handling, collecting, and recycling them. Plus transportation cost is obviously more.

Once we get past the cumbersome weight of the CRT, we can get to the basics of recycling it. Remember the purpose of this exercise is to save us all from lead poisoning so this is definitely a worthwhile project.

So why are CRTs laden with lead in the first place? The lead is inside the CRTs so the picture is more clear. Also, the lead protects our eyes from overexposure to radiation.

Lead by the Pound

According to the latest statistics there are up to four to seven pounds of the lead inside your average CRT. Now you know just how important keeping CRTs out of landfills really is!

So when you finally drop off your CRT at the recycling center what happens next?

The first step is removing the plastic casing that surrounds the tube. At this point in the process, the guts of the CRT are visible. You would see the tube, the electron gun, the boards, all the wiring and the outer glass.

The second step is disassembling the parts for sorting. Once sorted, each type of part has a unique destination for recycling.

The third step is reclaiming all the valuable metal contained within each part. After the sorting is complete, the components are sent to a smelter for refining and then reused as recycled raw material.

The tubes are manufactured glass and are hermetically sealed.  Also, the glass has a coating of  phosphorus which is cleaned off so that it can be recycled.

The last step is recycling the glass tube itself. The tube weighs about 50 pounds and about 10 pounds of that is lead! Once the glass breaks, it gets placed into a smelter to reclaim the lead which is then reused as recycled raw material.

CRT Recycling Is Lagging

Now after reading this, the last thing you would want to do is dump your CRT in a landfill!  According to the EPA, 22.6 million CRTs were disposed in 2009 but only 4.7 million were recycled properly. This is unacceptable and unsustainable.

For more information about recycling CRTs or recycling electronic waste such as computers and servers, please visit: www.EwasteWiz.com