Medals for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics may be created out of disposed smartphones and computers as Nikkei is reporting that the organizers of the Tokyo Olympics are thinking of using recycled electronics to forge the medals for the event.
According to the report, the organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics believe that the millions of discarded smartphones and other small consumer electronics in the country contains enough precious metals to produce all the medals for not just the Olympic Games, but also the Paralympic Games as well. The idea for using recycled electronics was first discussed in June to consider “cooperation proposals for the Tokyo 2020 operation plan” with an eye toward a “sustainable future.”
While an estimated 650,000 tons of small electronics and electric home appliances are discarded in Japan every year, less than 100,00 tons of it is collected as Japan has not fully implement a system for collecting discarded consumer electronics. Despite the lack of a system however, Japan has managed to salvage a total of 143kg of gold, 1,566kg of silver, and 1,112 tons of copper in 2014. For comparison, a total of 9.6kg of gold, 1,210kg of silver, and 700kg of copper were used to produce the medals for the 2012 London Olympics.
Japan now aims to raise public awareness about recycling electronics, with hopes that the amount of electronic waste that is collected and recycled could be increased. “In order for all Japanese people to participate in the Tokyo Olympics, we are asking companies to propose a concerte collection proposal and would like to work with the Olympic organizing committee to realize the proposal,” says Yuko Sakita, a representative of the nonprofit organization Genki Net for Creating a Sustainable Society.
Source: Nikkei