New plant will recycle 500,000 CRTs a year

by Penny Williams

A PLANT for recycling TVs and monitors has been opened at Hirwaun in south Wales.

Citiraya Recycling Technology has invested 1 million [pounds sterling] in the site, which is claimed to be the first in the UK to use laser separation technology to recycle glass from cathode ray tubes (CRTs).

The new site, which is close to Hitachi's Hirwaun factory, will employ 70 people and has 35,000 square feet of processing space.

Initially, it will recycle 500,000 CRTs a year--around five per cent of the UK's annual tally of scrapped tubes.

Citiraya is part of a Singapore-based group of the same name that specialises in recycling surplus, obsolete and scrap electronics. It is planning sites across Europe to help makers comply with strict new European Union recycling directives.

And it commented that governments around the world, not just the EU, am moving to make manufacturers more accountable for their products when they fall out of use.

It already has recycling contracts with many of the world's leading electronics companies.

Citiraya received help from the Welsh Assembly and the Welsh Development Agency as well as a regional selective assistance grant to set up the high-technology plant in Wales.

Said minister for economic development and transport, Andrew Davies: "Citiraya is at the forefront of environmental recycling technology.

"I am delighted that we have been able to provide support for the company to establish a hi-tech facility in Wales, which will be the first in the UK to use the latest laser cutting technology in the recycling process."

A Citiraya spokesman said the company had opted for Hirwaun because of the availability of high quality staff and premises and the ease of transport routes for incoming waste from central and southern Britain.