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Broken Tech Becomes Gold Mine, Literally

Commodity prices have 'urban miners' panning discarded electronics

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 28, 2008 2:03 PM CDT

(Newser) – No matter how broken it is, your old cell phone is still valuable to some people. That’s because it, like most electronics, is loaded with copper, iridium, gold, and other commodities that are becoming more expensive by the day. “To some it's just a mountain of garbage, but for others it's a gold mine," one recycling-plant manager tells Reuters.

The process is called “urban mining"—and right now it’s a growth industry, big in Japan and growing in China. Some of the scavenged goods are reused in other electronics, while others, like the gold, are melted down into fresh ingots. “It can be precious or minor metals, we want to recycle whatever we can,” one exec said.

Electronics are full of copper, iridium, gold, and other valuable commodities.
Electronics are full of copper, iridium, gold, and other valuable commodities.   (Shutterstock)
Throw your electronics away, and you're tossing away metals that are rapidly gaining value on the commodities exchange.
Throw your electronics away, and you're tossing away metals that are rapidly gaining value on the commodities exchange.   (Shutterstock)
For urban miners, this is a gold mine - literally.
For urban miners, this is a gold mine - literally.   (Shutterstock)
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