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Computer Monitors

Computer Monitors

Updated 5 March 2018 12:53 PM
There are two main types of computer monitors:


  1. CRT or Cathode Ray Tube monitors. These are the older style monitors and are generally a box shape – about as deep as their screen size.
  2. LCD or Liquid Crystal Display monitors. LCDs were originally more common in laptops, but are now generally used in PC screens.


The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme will take your computer monitor and other computer products (such as keyboards, monitors, mice and hard drives) for recycling. The scheme will take your device regardless of the brand and no matter how old they are. Officeworks, Harvey Norman and Domayne are the main drop off centres.
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Science Notes
Computer monitors are among the worst offenders in contribution to electronic waste (e-waste) in Australia. This is silly really as they are nearly 100 percent recycable and it is extremely important that they are.

Dependent upon the manufacturer, CRT Monitors contain varying levels of plastics, glass and toxic substances like lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd) and brominated fire retardants. Lead is used to solder parts together and so up to 6% of an old monitor is lead. 40% of lead found in landfill is contributed by e-waste. Lead, Mercury and Cadmium are cumulative chemicals and highly toxic to humans and animals. (Once you ingest it, you can’t get rid of it so it accumulates in your body, slowly increasing toxicity and potentially leading to health issues.) 

LCD Monitors contain lead, copper, nickel and traces of mercury. Metals are non-renewable and valuable. While some plastic is sent to landfill, most is recycled into building products and outdoor furniture.

Related Tip
Over the past ten years, various countries have introduced legislation to reduce the amount of dangerous chemicals in electronic equipment.

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