Nils Pauliks in The Conversation: e-waste could help secure Europe’s supply of critical materials
The Conversation
Old phones, laptops and routers often end up in the waste stream, even though they contain valuable metals. In The Conversation, environmental scientist Nils Pauliks explains how better recycling could help Europe recover critical raw materials and reduce its reliance on imports.
Electronic waste is often seen as an environmental problem, but according to Nils Pauliks, it is also an important source of raw materials.
Large amounts of valuable metals are now lost because electronic waste is not collected or recycled properly. Paulik’s research shows that e-waste could become an important source of critical materials such as gallium, tantalum and neodymium. ‘Europe is not facing a scarcity problem but a recovery challenge,’ he writes. Better collection systems, targeted recycling efforts and improved recovery technologies could help transform electronic waste into a valuable domestic resource and support the transition to a circular economy.
More information
Read the full article on The Conversation website: Europe's e-waste is a valuable resource - let's not throw it away.