Mobile Recycling Milestone Attainable Ahead of Tokyo 2020
Wednesday, February 13, 2019 - 14:10:11
When organisers of the 2020 Olympics announced that they would be using old mobile phones and other recycled electronics to produce the medals awarded to athletes at the games, this move was heralded as forward-thinking and eminently sustainable.
This week it was confirmed that the goal set would be achieved ahead of the deadline, with all of the copper and the majority of the gold and silver now accrued to help manufacture the medals.
The Independent reports that Japanese authorities were able to muster a lot of domestic support for this campaign following its introduction two years ago, although there were initial concerns that not enough recycled electronic gadgets would be collected in time for the commencement of Tokyo 2020.
As well as targeting consumer goods, organisers worked together with businesses in order to collect outdated devices and send them to be recycled. This allowed for improved organisational cohesion and bolstered the donation process significantly.
An impressive total of over five million old mobile phones have been recycled so far as part of this project. It is still a few months until the final design of the medals is revealed, while the opening ceremony of the games is not scheduled until July of next year.
Japan is similar to many other developed nations in that it faces a steep e-waste issue at the moment, generating more waste electronics each year than India, according to a UN report. This mobile recycling initiative was launched in an attempt to tackle this problem head on and raise awareness about the benefits of selling or donating old electronics rather than hoarding them at home.
The creation of the medals requires more than four tonnes of silver, but a much lower 30.3kg of gold. 2.7 tonnes of copper has also been collected, although this is far more common than the other two precious metals.
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