End-of-life cathode ray tubes: a life cycle assessment for Australia

Abstract

Consumer items such as television receivers and personal computer monitors have for many years been based on cathode ray tubes (CRTs). These CRTs are predominantly made of glass, part of which, the side or funnel part, incorporates lead which has the potential to create environmental hazards such as impacts on human health when disposed on in landfill. This study evaluates the environmental impact using life cycle assessment techniques for a range of possible disposal options in Australia, including landfill, use as a flux in lead smelters and shipping overseas for recycling as leaded glass. It concludes that all other disposal options are preferable to landfill although not always by a large margin and all other methods of disposal are approximately equal in their environmental benefit compared to landfill.