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CRT Recycling Made Easy
With the signing of a new regulation in July 2006, we have created new opportunities for the recycling of cathode ray tubes (CRTs). We have streamlined the federal hazardous waste management requirements for CRTs and CRT glass destined for recycling. These simplified, yet safe, standards aim to increase the collection and recycling of CRTs, which in turn will save energy, conserve resources, and allow for the recovery and reuse of lead and glass.
CRTs are the video display components of televisions and computer monitors. About 57 million televisions and computers are sold in the United States each year. The glass in CRTs typically contains enough lead to require managing it as hazardous waste under certain circumstances. Under the previous regulations, businesses and other organizations responsible for the recycling or disposal of CRTs were sometimes unsure about the proper way to recycle or dispose of this equipment. Such uncertainty sometimes prevented CRTs from being recycled and reused. We have changed CRT waste management requirements to eliminate this confusion so that more CRTs will be reused and recycled.
Under these new regulations, used, unbroken CRTs are not regulated as hazardous waste unless they are stored for more than a year. This storage limit applies only to CRT recyclers and collectors—not consumers. We have established these streamlined standards for unbroken CRTs because the risk of lead releases from them is very low.
Used, broken CRTs are not regulated as hazardous waste as long as certain good-housekeeping practices are followed. They must be transported in clearly labeled containers designed to minimize releases. They must also be stored in such containers unless they are placed inside of a building, and they may not be stored for more than a year. CRTs undergoing glass processing must follow the same simplified requirements to remain unregulated. In addition, they must be processed at a temperature which does not allow the lead to volatilize. CRT glass that has been processed and sent to a CRT glass manufacturer or a lead smelter is also unregulated as long as it is kept in storage less than one year.
Certain additional rules apply to the transportation of CRTs across international borders. Exporters shipping broken or unbroken CRTs to another country for recycling are required to notify EPA and receive written consent from the receiving country through our Agency before shipping. In addition, exporters shipping used, unbroken CRTs to another country for reuse must also submit a one-time notification.
“A discarded CRT represents an opportunity lost,” says Susan Bodine, our Assistant Administrator. “This rule will help encourage the reuse and recycling of CRTs, which puts them back to productive use, rather than into the nation’s landfills.”
While these new regulations are taking effect the electronics industry is continuing to develop new, lead-free technologies to replace CRTs, such as more energy- and space-efficient liquid crystal displays. The recycling of CRTs exemplifies the type of activity encouraged by the Resource Conservation Challenge within the national priority area of Priority and Toxic Chemical Reductions.
For More Information:
- Cathode Ray Tubes Final Rule
- Resource Conservation Challenge national priority area: Priority and Toxic Chemical Reductions