[Sqg-program] News Release: EPA Improves Standards for Recycling of Cathode Ray Tubes

Gleason, Irene Irene.Gleason at dep.state.fl.us
Wed Jul 19 15:27:56 EDT 2006


News for Release: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

EPA Improves Standards for Recycling of Cathode Ray Tubes 

Contact: Roxanne Smith, (202) 564-4355 / smith.roxanne at epa.gov 

(Washington, D.C. - July 19, 2006)  EPA is streamlining the federal hazardous
waste management requirements for cathode ray tubes and CRT glass destined
for recycling. These safe, yet simplified standards aim to increase the
collection and recycling of CRTs. Safely recycling CRTs saves energy and
conserves resources, allows the recovered lead to be reused in other ways,
and reduces the amount of lead in landfills. 

"A discarded CRT represents an opportunity lost," said EPA Assistant
Administrator Susan Bodine. "This rule will help encourage the reuse and
recycling of CRTs, which puts these resources back to productive use, rather
than into the Nation's landfills." 

Under these new regulations, used, unbroken CRTs are not regulated as
hazardous waste unless they are stored for more than a year. EPA is setting
simpler, more manageable standards for unbroken CRTs because the risk of lead
releases from them is very low. Limited storage requirements apply only to
CRT recyclers and collectors. 

CRTs are the video display components of televisions and computer monitors.
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 that recycle or dispose of CRTs were
sometimes unclear about the proper way to recycle or dispose of this
equipment. That uncertainty sometimes prevented CRTs from being recycled and
reused. EPA is changing CRT waste management requirements to eliminate this
confusion so that more CRTs will be reused and recycled. About 57 million
computers and televisions are sold in the United States annually, although
many new models may not contain CRTs. 

Used, broken CRTs are not regulated as hazardous waste as long as certain
good-housekeeping practices are followed. To remain unregulated, CRTs
undergoing glass processing must follow the same simplified requirements,
except that they must be processed so that lead from the glass is not
volatilized. CRT glass that has been processed and sent to a CRT glass
manufacturer or a lead smelter also is unregulated, as long as it is kept in
storage less than a year. 

Exporters shipping broken or unbroken CRTs to another country for recycling
must notify EPA and receive written consent from the receiving country
through EPA before shipments can be made. This requirement is similar to
those applicable to exporters of hazardous waste, which are found at 40 CFR
Part 262. In addition, exporters shipping used, unbroken CRTs for reuse as
computers to another country must submit a one-time notification to EPA. 

More information about the Hazardous Waste CRT Rule: 
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/electron/crt.htm
<http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/electron/crt.htm>  
  
Sent by the the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency * 1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW * Washington DC 20460 * 202-564-4355 
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