Global E-waste contains Gold worth $16 bn and Silver $5 bn
E-waste Recycling | 2012-07-09 16:53:05
E-wastes disposed globally contains gold worth $16 bn and silver worth $5 bn, was revealed at a meeting organized by the United Nations University and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative in Accra, Ghana.
By Paul Ploumis
ACCRA (Scrap Monster): E-wastes disposed globally contains gold worth $16 bn and silver worth $5 bn, was revealed at a meeting organized by the United Nations University and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative in Accra, Ghana.
The Bonn based United Nations University has pointed out that e-waste contains precious metal deposits that are 40 to 50 times richer than ores mined from the ground.
Personal computers, cell phones, tablet computers and other new electronic and electrical products worldwide uses over 320 tons of gold and over 7500 tons of silver annually. Due to the anti corroding capacity of the yellow metal it is used in connectors,circuits,connecting wires etc. Also precious metals are good conductors.
Although, major part of gold in e-waste are lost due to crude dismantling, the experts verified.
India has been a popular destination for disposing e-waste as its waste output has jumped eight times in the last seven years, according to the latest annual report of the Indian ministry of environment and forest, despite its poor recycling methods.
