Tip - After Jan. 1 'Toxic tubes' from old TVs, monitors, will be harder to dispose of

While it will be illegal under state recycling law to throw out computers, televisions and other electronic devices starting Jan. 1, the state is still trying to figure out what to do about a glut of obsolete and toxic glass picture tubes, items that currently have no recycling value. People still own many older televisions and computer screens that used glass cathode ray tubes, also called CRTs, and which contain several pounds of toxic lead. Stockpiles of valueless CRTs also turned up in Cincinnati, Baltimore, Denver and in Arizona. Because of the lead, federal law classifies the tubes as hazardous waste Asked about the status of the reports and the CRT issue, DEC made no officials available for comment and issued a statement: The report to the governor/Legislature regarding the e-waste program implementation and performance is going through a final review process, and is expected to be complete early next year. The head of the New York state Product Stewardship Council, an organization of municipal agencies and private recycling firms which helped develop the law, said while the CRT issue must be solved, the Jan. 1 dumping ban is not an immediate crisis. [...] Radin said the law has worked, despite its problems. "Since the law was adopted, more than 300 million pounds of electronic waste has been kept out landfills," he said.