Electronic waste is a gold mine. How can we tap it?

The world is drowning in electronic waste. The flood of e-waste we generated in 2022 contained $91 billion worth of valuable metals, according to a recent United Nations report. Almost 40% of those metals ended up in a landfill, were burned in incinerators, or were disposed of in uncontrolled ways. A mere 4% of some metals essential for clean energy were recovered from e-waste. Mining these same metals, as well as improperly recycling used electronics, causes pollution and human health hazards. Current recycling processes require high temperatures and harsh chemicals. Several researchers and companies are advancing economical, sustainable methods to recover more key metals from e-waste. These approaches could help facilitate a secure, circular supply of these materials. In the dark corners of your attic shelves or the depths of your desk drawers likely sits a collection of defunct laptops, cameras, and gaming consoles. The phone you may be reading