E-Waste and the Circular Economy
Urban Mining: Gold in Old Phones
How old electronics contain gold, silver, copper and rare metals in higher concentrations than many mines, and the economics of recovering them.
E-waste contains valuable materials.
Metals in electronics
- Gold, silver and palladium in circuit boards.
- Copper in wires.
- Cobalt and lithium in batteries.
- Rare earths in magnets.
Rich ore
A tonne of old phones can contain more gold than a tonne of gold ore from many mines.
Value
The UN estimated the metals in global e-waste in 2022 were worth tens of billions of dollars.
Urban mining
Recovering these metals is called urban mining.
Recovery methods
- Smelting in advanced facilities recovers precious metals efficiently.
- Informal acid methods recover some gold but waste other metals and pollute.
Critical minerals
Recycling can supply critical minerals for batteries and electronics, reducing import dependence.
Tokyo Olympics medals
Japan made 2020 Olympic medals from metals recovered from donated old phones and electronics.
Japanese citizens donated millions of old phones to recover gold, silver and bronze for the Tokyo 2020 medals.
They contain gold, silver, copper and rare metals.
- E-waste contains gold, silver, copper and rare metals.
- Phones can be richer in gold than mined ore.
- Urban mining recovers these metals.
- Recycling can supply critical minerals.
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