Following a WRAP-funded study finding outlets for lead glass (see letsrecycle.com story), ICER found a need to create a standard for the recycling of CRTs, because of a fear that not all companies are recycling CRT glass fully.
Clare Snow, director of ICER, told letsrecycle.com: “As part of the WRAP project one of the things we identified was to create a list of people who can take and deal with CRTs. But while we found a lot of companies claiming to do things with CRTs, without a standard they may be just landfilling the glass.”
She added: “There needs to be some kind of procedure for checking people are doing what they say they are doing.”
CRTs are found in televisions and computer monitors and are made of glass containing lead and barium oxide which makes them complex to recycle safely. Under the European Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive all separately collected WEEE will have to be treated, recycled and recovered.
Criteria
The new standard for cathode ray tube recycling is to be launched at ICER's annual conference on June 14, 2004. To achieve the standard a company will have to meet its main criteria. Ms Snow explained: “Firstly a company needs to prove that the glass actually goes into a second use application and the recycling takes place at that point.”
The company must also have an audit trail of how the glass is transported and that best practice is followed in handling the materials.
Finally, ICER is keen to see that lead is removed from CRT glass when it is used for products that do not need it. So the lead would have to be removed for applications such as ceramic tiles and filter mediums but using the lead glass to make new CRTs would meet the criteria.
“This is going to narrow down CRT recycling to a handful of people in the UK that are doing the right thing and can prove it,” Ms Snow said.
Register for free to comment