Old CRT TVs Might Have Great Recycling Use

Remember those old, heavy CRT televisions? It seems like ages ago, but believe it or not, they were once standard fixtures of virtually every home and office across America! As technology has moved towards lighter, slimmer, higher-quality options, many of the nearly 1 billion CRT TVs sold since 1980 (the first time the statistic was counted) have been thrown away and recycled.

The CRT Dilemma

While the recycling of outdated CRT televisions began more than a decade ago, e-waste recycling centers have had a very tough time. The circuit boards inside the body of the televisions have always found their use, as such boards normally do. In addition, the thick plastic casing has also been able to put to good use.

The most expensive part of a CRT television (as well as modern ones) is neither the inside nor the surrounding plastic, but rather the glass. The glass is easily the costliest piece, but it's also the toughest to recycle. With no applicable uses largely due to the large amounts of lead contained, CRT glass had effectively become worthless for a long time.

A Possible Recycling Solution?

Researchers at The United Nations University have released a study that for the first time show a viable path to recycling glass in CRT televisions, which could create a large recycling market (and a huge benefit to the environment as well).

It’s important to stress that this is still an ongoing discussion. While this study has concluded, it called on more research to be done on the possible health risks and how to minimize the exposure to toxic lead. It may still be a few years away from becoming a reality, but the fact that lead glass recycling is being taken seriously shows how far along the industry has come in recent years.

This solution goes far beyond profit, as large amounts of lead is a health hazard regardless, and especially so in vulnerable areas of the world. Whether money is made at first is irrelevant – the first step is to find a way to safely process the material.