Sustainable minerals for a carbon-free future.
Electronics waste generation (e-waste) has been fueled by economic growth and the demand for faster, more efficient electronics.
Electric vehicles, phones, computers, and tablets are complex pieces of machinery.
Each contains a number of metals, including titanium, gold, platinum, and rare earth elements.
The glass and metals in end-of-life electronics components can be reused or recycled; however, conventional extraction methods rely on energy-intensive processes that are inefficient when applied to recycling e-waste that contains mixed materials and small amounts of metals. There are currently no environmentally friendly methods available to mine and to recycle many of the materials in e-waste.
Additionally, demand for these elements has an environmental and human health cost. Severe environmental damage has resulted from unregulated recycling practices at e-waste dumping sites.
Only 12-20% of e-waste is recycled through unregulated processes and by individuals in low-income countries where the environmental and health impacts are profound.
Burning the plastics to recover copper
E-waste also contains toxic heavy metals that leach into groundwater and pollute soils
Children who live near sites that have been contaminated by e-waste have extremely elevated levels of lead in the blood