Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) are the second largest source of toxic lead in the municipal solid waste stream.

What's in a CRT?
A CRT in a TV or a computer monitor can contain from ~ 1.5 to nearly 6 pounds of lead, depending on the size and year of manufacture (4 pounds per CRT is sometimes used as a rough average). The CRT glass can be divided into 4 parts, which have differing amounts of lead in different chemical and physical forms:

1. Neck: The neck glass houses the electron gun (source of the signal leading to the display we see when we look at the TV or monitor).
2. Funnel: Lead is bound up in the glass matrix of the funnel (22-25% lead) as "leaded glass" for shielding us from the radiation produced by the gun.
3. Faceplate or panel: A minimal amount of lead (~2-3%) bound up in the glass matrix. The function of the lead is not known.
4. Frit: Frit is a type of glass solder used to join the faceplate and funnel sections. It contains from ~15 to nearly 100 grams of lead per CRT, depending on the size. The lead from the frit is in a soluble form; primarily lead oxide, as compared to the insoluble lead in the glass matrix of the funnel and faceplate. The lead in the frit readily leaches in both US EPA's TCLP (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure) hazardous waste characterization test and in the landfill or environment. To a lesser extent, lead may also leach from the funnel of panel glass depending on the particle size of the broken glass.

QRS removes all of the cabinet surrounding the CRT, leaving only the leaded glass. This leaded glass is separated at the frit line and the two different concentrates of glass are sent to a glass to glass recycling facility in the United States to be reused in the making of new CRTs. We feel that this is the best way to provide our customers with "Cradle to Grave Liability".