What electronics are made of and how materials are recovered
Every retired device is a small deposit of metals. These pages say what is inside common electronics, where each material sits, and how the industry recovers it. Each one names its sources.
Inside everyday things
What each one is made of, part by part, and what it gives back.
Circuit boardsCopper, tin, aluminum and more
Cordless drillSteel, copper, nickel and more
E-bikeAluminum, steel, copper and more
Enterprise serverSteel, aluminum, copper and more
Flat-screen TVSteel, aluminum, copper and more
Game consoleSteel, copper, aluminum and more
Hard disk driveAluminum, steel, copper and more
HeadphonesSteel, copper, aluminum and more
Industrial electric motorA teardown story, part by part
LaptopAluminum, copper, cobalt and more
Robot vacuumSteel, copper, nickel and more
SmartphoneAluminum, copper, cobalt and more
SmartwatchAluminum, steel, copper and more
Solar panelsAluminum, silicon, copper and more
TabletA teardown story, part by part
Wireless earbudsCopper, steel, cobalt and more
Materials
What a material is, why electronics use it, and every device here that holds it.
How each stream is recovered
A recycler sorts what it takes apart into streams. Each takes its own route back into use.
- Precious metalsGold, silver and palladium, mostly on circuit boards.
- Battery metalsLithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese; lead in the big lead-acid ones.
- Magnet rare earthsNeodymium and its neighbors, in strong compact magnets.
- CopperWindings, cables and heavy conductors.
- Steel and aluminumFrames, cases, laminations and castings.
- Specialty metalsTin, tantalum, tungsten, indium, gallium, silicon and lead.
Before you recycle
- Lithium-ion battery safetyHow to tape, bag and recycle lithium-ion batteries and the devices that contain them, what to do with a damaged one, and why they stay out of the trash.
- Before you recycle electronicsWhat to do before recycling or donating electronics: consider reuse, remove your personal data, and know what kind of storage the device holds.
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