Very few people seek to recycle their old computers and it has become common to find old computer monitors filling up landfills because people have not realized how crucial it is to recycle them.

Before the idea of an LCD monitor was developed, people used CRT or Cathode Ray Tube monitors, which were not only bigger and bulkier, but also contained a host of chemicals and compounds that were potentially hazardous when dumped in landfills. Computer monitor recycling therefore is one kind of recycling that should not be ignored.

There are a number of reasons why computer monitor recycling is important. The amount of lead that is present in the old CRT monitors is extremely bad for the environment and health if it is allowed to seep through the ground and to the water system.

Every CRT monitor contains around 5 pounds of lead and chemicals like cadmium, barium, phosphorous and mercury. These chemicals are known to produce a large number of potentially harmful effects on the human body like cancer, high blood pressure, anaemia, nerve and brain damage.

When the monitors are intact, these chemicals are well sealed, and they are not exposed to human contact; however, when they are crushed, all these various chemicals are released into the environment causing leaching. These materials will then possibly enter the water supply or become an airborne hazard.

Of course, apart from these chemicals, there are also a large number of materials that are present in computer monitors that can easily be recycled. This includes the plastic casing, the glass of the monitor and the various metal wires and components on the inside. This means that computer monitor recycling will not only protect the environment from dangerous chemicals, but will also create more landfill space.