Schott’s Vocab: Urban Mining

Commenting on a recent Japanese drive to encourage the recycling of old cellphones, Tim Hornyak highlighted the term “urban mining.”

Writing for CNNGo, Hornyak noted that some 570,000 cellphones had been deposited in 100 days, in response to a campaign led by the virtual character Hatsune Miku:

The successful campaign included cash prizes, so participants weren’t merely motivated by conservation or the charms of Hatsune.

So-called “urban mining” recycling plants can turn trash into treasure. The government estimates the phones yielded 22 kilograms of gold, 79 kilograms of silver, two kilograms of palladium and over five tons of copper.

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Source: The New York Times