Recycling Cathode Ray Tube Glass

The webinar, hosted by the State Electronics Challenge (SEC) and administered by the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC), attempted to answer a number of looming questions about the U.S. Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) market. Among the questions posed were: Is there capacity to handle the glass? And, should we landfill CRT glass?  Both Levine and Harris answered the capacity question with a resounding “Yes.” Capacity is virtually unlimited, but it’s not for free. Far too many recyclers are taking deals they cannot afford, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), even with statutory obligations across the United States, are dramatically underpaying for the actual costs to responsibly recycle CRT glass. Recyclers cannot overpay and make it up the loss on volume. The solution is to recycle the glass.  Domestic and global markets do exist. But, in the end, it’s all about costs to recycle this stream responsibly, not capacity.  As to landfilling, regulators were reminded that stockpiling and landfilling CRTs is not recycling, and both are horrible precedents for the flat panel devices market, which have similar costs to recycle.  

Jim Levine's presentation
Eric Harris' presentation