Can Recycled BFR Plastics Be Used in New Plastic Housings? by
Michele Raymond Will Europe’s new material restrictions on
electronics hamper U.S. electronics recyclers? That depends who
you ask. While there’s a lot of pressure for local government to
start collecting and recycling electronics waste – and for
manufacturers to pay at some point – there hasn’t been much
discussion of what products the old e-waste materials can go
into. Besides the fact that most electronics are now made in
Asia to begin with, the European Union is also restricting what
materials can be used in new electronics. The Restrictions on
Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive bans lead, cadmium,
mercury chromium VI and at least two brominated flame retardants
(BFRs) in new electronics as of July 2006, with some exemptions.
This one directive will cost industry billions to comply with.
But what about recycled components? Can a recycler in the US mix
BFR plastics with non-BFR plastics and use them for housings in
a new TV that could be sold