Industry certification bodies R2 Solutions and Basel Action Network (BAN) released formal clarifications this week on the way certified firms may handle CRT glass.
Issuing a formal rule clarification on March 26, R2 announced board members unanimously moved to ban the use of CRT glass as alternative daily cover (ADC) under the new iteration of the certification. R2 executive director John Lingelbach confirmed there are now no instances in which an R2-certified facility can use CRTs as ADC.
“There are viable downstream options for the subset of CRT glass that top-performing, R2-certified recyclers are processing,” Lingelbach said.
BAN, which administers the e-Stewards certification, issued its own rule clarification today.
Emphasizing the challenges smaller recyclers face in paying for the proper downstream processing of CRT glass, BAN reaffirmed its stance that CRT-to-ADC actions do not constitute recycling but can be “used as a last resort” for disposal by its members.
“We believe that at this juncture where the market is already dangerously constricted, any further prohibitions should only be considered if they are based on sound science and a life-cycle approach examining all significant environmental and social impacts,” the release reads. It also states that the group is engaged in “a science-based review of global CRT management practices” and will be reviewing the definition of “as a last resort” as used in the e-Stewards certification language.
The downstream processor likely to be most affected by R2’s ban on the practice of using CRTs as ADC is Kuusakoski U.S. Through a partnership with Peoria Disposal Company (PDC), Kuusakoski runs a CRT-to-ADC operation in Peoria, Illinois and has hopes to process up to 50,000 tons of glass every year for the next decade.
Kuusakoski’s Philadelphia facility is both R2 and e-Stewards certified. However, the company’s Peoria, Illinois facility, which is actively involved in the ADC operation, is not certified to either standard.
Lingelbach told E-Scrap News R2 Solutions and Kuusakoski held a conference call on Thursday, but he said the certification status of Kuusakoski’s Philadelphia facility was not discussed. Kuusakoski’s Anssi Takala clarified with E-Scrap News its Philadelphia facility can operate as a transfer hub for CRTs bound for Illinois but “our target is that customers with CRT glass or intact CRT devices ship it directly Peoria.”
In addition, Takala told E-Scrap News the recycling firm and PDC “respectfully disagree” with the R2 clarification. “We have shared our concerns with R2 concerning its press release, and have challenged them to provide more information to the public that supports its decision on the viability question,” Takala said. “Furthermore, we have agreed to furnish additional information to R2 on this matter.”
According to a Kuusakoski white paper released last fall, aside from Kuusakoski, there are only three North American final recovery options for U.S. glass. The paper also states annual glass supply far outstrips the industry’s ability to handle the challenging material.
The paper advances the key argument that high levels of lead found in the funnel glass portion of CRTs are essentially locked within the glass by the technology employed by Kuusakoski and PDC, ensuring that it will not leach once used as ADC at landfills.