Question from Douglas
Hi Debra,
Are you aware that some US and Canadian recyclers are shipping lead-bearing picture tube glass from electronic hazardous waste to Spain for re-introduction into new ceramic tile? Your concerned readers would probably like to know since US imports its majority of tile.
There’s lot of evidence. The link below is to EPA’s position, which opened the flood gates for hundreds if not thousands of truckloads of leaded glass: https://yosemite.epa.gov/osw/rcra.nsf/0c994248c239947e85256d090071175f/44ce5d76da2bd53785257d630062ed82%21OpenDocument.
My gripe with this is, US Tile manufacturers eliminated lead because lead causes many health, safety and environmental problems and, yet US recyclers ship leaded glass with 200,000 parts per million lead, to Spain and call that recycling. The US Tile companies have proved that lead is not necessary to make a high quality tile. It is a sham to say that adding lead to tile is a “legitimate” secondary use.
The concept of Circular Economy is to eliminate toxics from new products so they are easily recycled in the future. Putting lead in tile is moving backwards.
Debra’s Answer
Thanks for sending this. I always appreciate info on toxic exposures from my readers.
Recycling toxics into new consumer products is not the proper way to dispose of hazardous waste.
