U.N. says green economy depends on metal recycling

A green global economy will require much higher recycling rates of specialty metals like lithium, neodymium and gallium, says a preliminary United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) report.

These metals, needed to make wind turbines, solar panels and hybrid car batteries, are scarce in nature and expensive yet only about 1% of them are recycled. Unless recycling increases dramatically, the report warns that specialty and rare earth metals could become "essentially unavailable for use in modern technology."

It says recycling rates are much higher, between 25% to 75%, for metals such as iron, steel, copper, aluminum, lead and tin. Still, it says increasing these rates could reduce greenhouse gas emissions, because recycling metals is much more energy efficient than smelting them.

"Boosting end-of-life recycling rates not only offers a path to enhancing those supplies and keeping metal prices down, but can also generate new kinds of employment while ensuring the longevity of the mines and the stocks found in nature," said Achim Steiner, UNEP's Executive Director.

(Source: May 2010 WasteWatch)

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