What happens to computer components during the recycling process?
CRTs: The first step involves separating the tube from the rest of the monitor. The plastic housing and metals inside of a monitor can be recycled once the monitor is taken apart. Recycling the CRT, however, requires more effort. Some recycling facilities have specially machinery (like the CRT separation system shown below; from Newtech Recycling, Inc.) that enable them to recycle the tubes while minimizing human risk. CRTs are first decompressed to eliminated the explosive behavior of the tube. The tubes are then crushed, and the leaded glass is separated from the other materials. This leaded glass can then be melted down and recycled for the production of new CRTs in monitors and television sets. NOTE: In some cases, monitors do not have to be recycled. People sometimes will dispose of a monitor simply because it no longer has use for them not just because it does not work. Recycling facilities that specialize in remanufacturing and resale will first test whether or not the monitor i
