Australia's first television glass recycling plant is calling for New Zealanders' old televisions, as environmental organisations on both sides of the Tasman Sea try to stem the flow of toxic TVs to rubbish dumps.

Increasing numbers of people are dumping lead-containing cathode-ray tube televisions as they buy new flat-screen and digital televisions before the switch to digital broadcasting.

The change is due in 2013 in Australia and 2012-2015 in New Zealand.

Most discarded TV sets end up in landfill, with the toxins they contain such as lead, mercury and arsenic.

Adelaide company CRT Recycling has used A$290,000 (£144,000) of taxpayers' money to open the first TV glass recycling plant in Australia.

Managing director Michelle Morton said the plant, which turns lead-laced television glass into material that can be used for new television and computer screens, was running at less than five per cent of its capacity.

"This is a non-renewable resource that we can completely reuse to make new televisions but it's mostly still going to landfill," she said.

Two New Zealand companies are awaiting hazardous substance permits so they can send television screens to be recycled by CRT.

The recycled glass would be sent to Malaysia to make new screens, said Ms Morton.

Unlike some similar plants, CRT does not separate glass from lead.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/australians-offer-answer-to-toxic-old-tvs-1694111.html