About CRT

Environmentally Aware and Responsible

Environmental Impacts

Impacts arise in a range of areas.

Transport impacts:

Ships would be returning empty to Asia having delivered products to the West - this means that the environmental impact of sending our output is reduced.

Offsite impacts:

Lead (which is a required component of the CRT manfuacture) if not provided within the recycled material, must needs be mined, refined and transported.
Lead vapour would be released during smelting and when re-melted to insert into the glass again - all of which is reduced by having lead already present in the recycled material.
Silica sand, ie the virgin material for glassmaking, can cause silicosis, recyclate glass cannot.
It takes less energy to melt recycled glass - with 20-30% energy savings.
Production efficiencies - use of recycled glass gains about 15% extra production.
Addition of barium within the recycled glass, helps the flow characteristics of the melted glass.
The financial savings thereby attained, can allow for investment in improved Environmental and H&S controls.

On site impacts:

Reduction of material going to hazardous waste landfill
Minimal energy use (no melt operation).
Minimal chemical introduction.
Minimal water use/discharge in the process as only used in a closed loop process.
Provision of work, employment and purchasing for local community.
No odour.
Minimal noise.

Energy Saving Description

Energy - it takes less energy to melt recycled glass than to create glass from virgin materials (the melt temperature of glass is lower than that of the virgin materials that makes glass) - 20-30% energy savings from total melt with introduction of 15%-30% recycled material with remainder virgin material. An additional effect is that energy in Asia may be derived from brown coal which is a particularly polluting form of coal - so the less used the better.

Landfill Reduction

Without treatment, waste CRT glass would be classified as hazardous and be required to be taken to landfill. Since CRT Recycling is able to keep 100% of the material it receives inwards from ending up in hazardous waste landfill, following appropriate treatment, this means a vast reduction in landfill requirements. This saves the space for other untreatable materials and prevents the waste of good material.

Carbon Footprint

While CRT Recycling has no melt process, and works hard on reducing its energy demand in all areas, there is still, currently, a net demand for energy. This generates a carbon footprint from the activities of CRT Recycling which the company has offset using the PopOffsets carbon offset scheme.