Scored 34 monitors today

Hey All, I scored 34 monitors from the local computer repair shop today. Besides opening each one and scrapping all I can get, what are my options? Also, can I make any money off the glass tube portion of the monitor? I don't know it allvso all feedbacks are welcomed.

Getting rid of the glass will likely cost you unless your local Good Will would take them. With that many, they may not.

I charge $10 each to take them.

I posted a thread in another forum about this.

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/non-m...crt-tubes.html

eWaste.com

But you have to put the plastic back on to take them in.

I was thinking to charge to take them but I went asking for them and it cost nothing at my local recycle to get rid of, I thought otherwise.

Originally Posted by TheRecycler

Hey All, I scored 34 monitors from the local computer repair shop today. Besides opening each one and scrapping all I can get, what are my options? Also, can I make any money off the glass tube portion of the monitor? I don't know it allvso all feedbacks are welcomed.

I wouldn't call it a "score" exactly. There is a lot of work in CRT's, but you can make money. As far as I know, you can't make money off the tube unless you sell them whole.

My tubes go in the trash. Clean plastic goes by the recycle bin. If our city had a drop off facility for escrap i wouldnt hesitate to haul them there, but not at this time. Our landfill has the certs for low level hazardous waste.

I have been able to reuse and resell the good crts thru my local contacts. All of them 20" or larger or ones that bear the energy star label get set off to the side. As a computer builder/repairman i do get requests for cheap monitors from time to time. They sell $5-$10 each depending on how many they buy.

Dude, its a score. Each monitor has copper, alu, boards, and wires I will be selling. It all adds up and thats how you score in this game. One last thing, it did not cost me a dime to get all 34.

Man, you should not put them in the trash, inside the tube is lead that some factory recaptures and reuse and glass tube is grinded down to be reused. As scrappers we have a responsibility to environmentally do the right thing.

Originally Posted by jghilino

My tubes go in the trash.

According to the EPA, that's illegal.

Some electronics (such as color CRTs computer monitors, color CRT TV tubes, and smaller items such as cell phones and other “hand-helds”) test “hazardous” under Federal law. If so, they are subject to special handling requirements under Federal law, subject to certain exemptions.

eCycling Regulations/Standards | US EPA

The way i look at it is this. Atleast by processing them i am keeping 1/2 of the material by weight out of the landfill. And that is better than not buying/processing them and having the entire thing go to the landfill. If i do nothing 100% gets thrown away. Im not going to pay for the tubes to be processed nor am i going to deliver them to a processing center 300 miles away. The factory you mention isnt anywhere close to here. There is a 40yard dumpster at my local good will where all the stuff that gets dropped off that they cant sell goes. So even then it would still be going to the same landfill.

Unfortunately, it's a burden that we have to bear. We can't ethically reap the benefits without accepting the responsibility. That's just the way it is.

CRTs are no longer regulated by the US EPA: Fact Sheet: Easier Recycling of Cathode Ray Tubes | Wastes | US EPA

However, they may be by your state. Be sure to familiarize yourself with State statutes regarding, transport, storing and disposal of CRTs.

Mick, with all due respect, they are still considered hazardous waste.

EPA is providing conditional exclusions from the federal hazardous waste management standards for CRTs and CRT glass destined for recycling.

Failure to follow the outlined procedures on that page would cause the CRTs to fall back to being considered hazardous waste. It's still against Federal law to dispose of them in with unregulated waste.

Originally Posted by TheRecycler

Dude, its a score. Each monitor has copper, alu, boards, and wires I will be selling. It all adds up and thats how you score in this game. One last thing, it did not cost me a dime to get all 34.

Yes, I know whats in a monitor. I have processed them before. The main thing is you have a place to dispose of the tube for free. Just try to "Strip em' and flip em'" as fast as possible.

According to the EPA, that's illegal.

There are different classifications of landfills that can take different types of material. I.E. Some landfills have a clay bottom that can only take certain types of materials (Non Hazardous) Others have plastic liners that can take other types of waste, and sometimes hazardous waste. It varies from landfill to landfill.

Dude, if you're gonna be a scrapper, regardless of what some may think, its a trade with class and that class is what requires us not to dump the tube in trash and get them to the right place.

Originally Posted by TheRecycler

Dude, if you're gonna be a scrapper, regardless of what some may think, its a trade with class and that class is what requires us not to dump the tube in trash and get them to the right place.

Ok, I will explain myself. I personally RECYCLE the tubes at Goodwill (In my area, they have a program that will take any electronic item in any condition and they recycle them. They allow people to drop off gutted T.V. without the plastic casing. I take the plastic casing and sell it to my plastic guy.) So yes, I DO recycle the tubes. Going on to the landfill issue, it CAN be legal to throw them in the trash. People do it all the time around here. I have even thrown a few in my trash before fully gutted, and the trash guys throw them in the truck without looking twice. They don't really give a crap what they throw in their trucks around here because the landfills can LEGALLY take them. To my understanding, it is illegal to throw them in the trash in NY, but it is different down here and every state is different. So yes, recycling them is "the right thing," but in some places throwing them in the trash is also considered the legal, "right thing to do."

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/elect...ing-guide.html

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/elect...g-monitor.html

it is definitely a score. maybe not for the monitors, though they have value which has been discussed countless times. rather a score for the contact you have at the COMPUTER repair shop. i too have taken monitors from a repair shop, and i built a relationship. he now only calls me for any scrap. i don't pay for it either. every now and then i give him sticks of ram. he is the kind of guy when fixing someones computer he will add memory or remove and put larger sticks in. he told me that, so i now give him larger sticks. pay it forward to receive it later.