There Will Be No Clean Tech Economy Without More Recycling

The rare metals that go into clean technology are already in short supply. Without a way to get them out of our old electronics, we could run out before we know it.

Try as we might, it’s impossible to fashion wind turbines, solar panels, and electric vehicles out of thin air. These technologies are complex, and many different materials go into their production. The problem is, a lot of the necessary metals aren’t recycled at the end of their lives–and that could lead to shortages in the future, putting the entire clean technology sector at risk.

The news comes from a new UN report, which explains that under one-third of 60 recyclable metals have an end-of-life recycling rate above 50%. And 34 elements–many of which are crucial for clean technology–have recycling rates of less than 1%. This may not seem like a big deal now, but mined metals are a limited resource. As these materials become more scarce, we will see increases in land disruption, water impacts, energy use, and of course, cost.

In the case of rare earth metals (i.e. specialty metals like tellurium and selenium, which are used for ultra-efficient solar cells), there is no way to tell how close we are to shortages because we don’t know how much of them there is.

“By failing to recycle metals and simply disposing of these kinds of metal, economies are foregoing important environmental benefits and increasing the possibility of shortages,” explained Thomas Graedel, a professor of industrial ecology at Yale University, in a statement. “If we do not have these materials readily available at reasonable prices, a lot of modern technology simply cannot happen.”

Source: Fast Company Read More…
By Ariel Schwartz