Scientists have called on people to go “urban mining” after a study revealed that old cables, phone chargers and other unused electrical goods thrown away or stored in cupboards or drawers could fuel a looming shortage of copper prevent.
The research found that in the UK there are around 823 million unused or broken technology items hiding in “drawers of doom” containing as much as 38,449 tonnes of copper – including 627 million cables – enough to supply 30% of the copper needed is for the UK’s planned transition. by 2030 to a decarbonised electricity grid.
Copper is essential in the drive to decarbonise the economy – being a crucial element of solar and wind developments as well as electric cars.
The study found that unused electrical goods could contain as much as £266 million worth of copper. Scott Butler, surname Recycle your electricalwho produced the study called on the public to start recycling their unwanted electrical goods.
“We need to start ‘urban mining’ and help protect the planet and nature from the harmful impact of mining for raw materials and instead appreciate and use what we already have.”
Butler added that people often don’t realize that cables and electrical appliances contain valuable materials. “If they are thrown away or stored, we lose everything in them.”
The group calls on everyone to “recycling locator” for their nearest facility.
“Anything with a plug, battery or cable can be reused and recycled and there is somewhere near you to do it.”
Experts say copper production outstrips demand – driven in part by sustainable energy projects and electric cars – and the mining process can have devastating environmental and social consequences.
An analysis by Bloomberg Intelligence found that better recycling of electrical goods could help meet that additional demand.
Grant Sporre, senior analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, said the world faces severe shortages of copper within the next five to 10 years.
“Building renewable power generation in the form of wind and solar farms, and switching from petrol and diesel cars to electric, could grow buyer demand by 2.5 to 3% per year… Better recycling practices and efficiency will be needed to close this gap.”
Cables represent one of the UK’s biggest e-waste challenges, according to the research, with UK households throwing away or keeping an average of 23 cables. Research by the Critical Minerals Association identified that they contain at least 20% copper – meaning cables alone could contribute 3,251 tonnes of metal across all UK households.
The Royal Society of Chemistry [RSC] calculated that 347,000 tonnes of copper would be needed to build the required number of wind turbines and solar panels by 2030.
“The UK needs to wake up to how important copper is to achieving our greener future,” said Izzi Monk, RSC policy adviser for the environment. “We may face imminent and significant supply problems where we will not be able to meet the global demand for this essential material. That’s why we’re calling on the government to commit to a strategic, joined-up approach to materials that takes these supply risks into account.”
