Urban Mines: Connecting the Future with Brilliance - The 2020s

Urban Mines: Connecting the Future with Brilliance - The 2020s

Electronic devices such as mobile phones and computers contain significant amounts of precious metals like gold, silver, copper, and palladium. Gold, in particular, exists at high concentrations within this waste, sometimes far exceeding the gold content found in mined ore. Recovering precious metals from electronic waste is a crucial technology for both efficient resource utilization and environmental protection, holding significant economic value. For the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, the "Everyone's Medal Project: Made from Urban Mines!" was implemented, collecting used mobile phones and small appliances nationwide. This project collected approximately 78,985 tons of small appliances and about 6.21 million mobile phones. Recycling yielded approximately 32 kg of gold, 3,500 kg of silver, and 2,200 kg of copper, which were used to produce about 5,000 medals.

However, Japan's smartphone collection rate remains low at about 17%, with many users still keeping their used devices. Mobile phones contain valuable metal resources, and recycling is expected to promote efficient resource utilization and reduce environmental impact. Going forward, greater efforts to promote recycling activities and improve collection rates are urgently needed.