Watched by billions of viewers, Sunday’s carnival-themed closing ceremony in Rio de Janeiro included a spectacular fireworks display. Japan could be taking recycling to a new level with the Olympics in 2020 – forging recycled electronics into medals.
Advertisement
While the worldwide afterglow of this year’s Rio Olympics continues, officials in Japan, home to the 2020 games, have unveiled an ambitious plan. This surpasses the amount of each metal used for the medals bestowed at the London Olympics in 2012. Nikkei says that in 2014 alone Japan recovered 143 kilograms of gold, 1,566 kilograms of silver, and 1,112 tons of copper from recycled consumer electronics.
And knowing that part of your old smartphone has become one of the most iconic medals in sport may be enough to persuade people to donate to the cause.
Most of the electronic material already recycled in Japan is now used to create more electronics, which could spell bad news for this Olympic medal plan. Bronze medals were made with copper waste from the national mint, and even the ribbons were crafted from recycled plastic.
While this sounds like a pretty good idea, it’s worth mentioning that Japan is already using a vast majority of e-waste to actually produce more electronics.
“We need a system that makes it easy for consumers to turn in used consumer electronics”, ReNet President Takeshi Kuroda told Nikkei Asian Review.
He said: “A collection system should be created by the private sector, and central and local governments should be in charge of publicising such private services”.
Advertisement
The Olympic planning committee is also working with tech companies to pitch ideas for electronic recycling collection programs.
