Experts state that the failure to recycle metals such as gold, silver, and copper contained in old devices causes an economic loss of approximately 1 billion euros annually.
According to Milli.Az, experts believe that recycling electronic waste is more efficient than traditional mining: While only a few grams of gold are extracted from 1 ton of soil in a mine, it is possible to obtain 300 grams of gold from 1 ton of used phones. On average, 25-35 milligrams of gold are extracted from one phone. When 1 million phones are collected, this amounts to approximately 35 kilograms of gold. People often do not discard old devices because they think "it might be useful" or are concerned about the security of personal data. However, specialists emphasize that: if these devices are not properly disposed of, the heavy metals contained in them enter the human body through the food chain.
Old devices kept at home become completely useless over time because their software is not updated. How is the recycling process carried out? Devices should be handed over to licensed stations. Since dangerous gases and chemicals may be generated during processing, this work should only be done by specialists. The metals obtained are used in industry, defense industry, and high technologies as "secondary raw materials."