Background There are no suitable technological solutions for the recovery and recycling of materials or treatment of potentially hazardous wastes from end-of-life liquid crystal displays (LCDs), light-emitting diodes (LEDs), plasma displays and photovoltaic panels. LCDs contain mercury, a heavy metal that poses a significant hazard to human health at the end of the product’s life. Plasma displays contain a highly toxic resin, which is very environmentally hazardous. Rapid technological development of television screens and computer monitors means that technologies are introduced and replaced often over short periods of only a few years. Consequently, there are now a large number of LCD and plasma displays reaching their end-of-life that need appropriate processing. Processing must be able to deal with LCD display tubes which contain mercury and risk breakage during the dismantling process. Objectives The HTWT project aimed to develop a comprehensive management plan for the collection and treatment of end-of-life screens and displays, and to develop an industrial prototype for the treatment of LCDs, LEDs, plasma displays and photovoltaic panels. This was to be tested on different kinds of screen and displays in order to identify suitable treatment processes and to deliver reusable materials. The technology that HTWT planned to use was an induction coil that would transmit heat to the metallic elements of the display, such as connectors, plates, terminals, screws, cables and tracks, in order to melt the thermoplastic components (insulation, adhesives). The melting of the thermoplastic materials would facilitate the separation of the components, cutting the time required to disassemble the screens and reducing the risk that environmentally sensitive components would be damaged. The project hoped to increase the recovery and recycling of materials from displays and screens, thus reducing the amount of hazardous waste sent to landfill and reducing the consumption of raw materials in the electronics sector. Results The HTWT project had two main objectives: development of a comprehensive management plan for the collection and treatment of end-of-life screens and displays, and development of an industrial prototype for the treatment of LCDs, LEDs, plasma displays and photovoltaic panels. The management plan was not developed. The project focused on the construction of the industrial prototype and related awareness-raising activities. Studies were carried out to establish the current treatment techniques used for end-of-life screens and displays, and to identify technical requirements for the prototype. Two versions of the prototype were developed and tested, but these failed to produce the expected results. The main outcomes of the project were: Construction and testing of a prototype that proved suitable for the treatment of LCD and plasma displays with ferromagnetic housing; For TV displays with aluminium housing, the results obtained with the prototype were not satisfactory. Tests showed that it would be necessary to increase the energy through the induction coil prototype in order to treat the aluminium housing. This would have required further technical testing to determine the environmental viability of such treatment for 100% aluminium housings. This additional testing was beyond the project's scope; The prototype was not effective for the treatment of photovoltaic panels. No satisfactory results were obtained in terms of treatment of this electronic waste; No results were provided for end-of-life treatment of LED displays.The project therefore fell short if its objective of developing an industrial prototype able to provide end-of-life treatment for LCDs, LEDs, plasma displays and photovoltaic panels. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).