California has enacted legislation whose purpose is to facilitate the recycling of cathode ray tubes(“CRT”) glass.
AB 1419 was recently signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown.
The impetus for the bill is the obsolescence of using CRT technology in the construction of televisions and monitors. LCD and LED has replaced this technology causing demand for CRT devices to drop significantly.
Legislative sponsor Susan Talamantes Eggman stated that the process of recycling scrap CRT monitors and televisions produces two types of glass:
- Funnel glass (which contains high levels of lead)
- Low/non-leaded panel glass
California regulations are stated to limit the options for recycling (i.e., glass through smelting, glass-to-glass recycling, production of new CRTs).
The purpose of AB 1419 is to authorize the use of CRT panel glass in various new products if determined to pose no harm. Further, the legislation provides California agencies the authority to identify additional end-uses of the material. They may also prohibit any previously allowed uses if necessary.
The California Legislative Council’s Digest (“LCD”) notes that:
. . .Existing law prohibits the management of hazardous waste, except in accordance with the hazardous waste laws. Existing law requires the Department of Toxic Substances Control to regulate the management and disposal of hazardous waste. Under existing regulations, the department classifies a waste as hazardous waste if the waste exceeds certain total threshold limitation concentrations, which are established by the department for various substances, including barium. A violation of the hazardous waste laws is a crime.
The LCD provides that the Bill, except as specified would:
. . .provide that used, broken cathode ray tube (CRT) panel glass and processed CRT panel glass that exceeds the total threshold limit concentration only for barium is not a waste and is not subject to regulation by the department if that panel glass meets certain requirements. The bill would provide that used, broken CRT panel glass and processed CRT panel glass that is recycled is not subject to the department’s regulations on the export of materials. The bill would prohibit the use of that CRT panel glass except in specified end uses. Because a violation of this requirement would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
Click here to view a PDF of AB 1419.
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