A new report released this week by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) says that recycling rates of metals are far lower than their potential for re-use. According to the report, “Recycling Rates of Metals: A Status Report”, “In spite of significant efforts in a number of countries and regions, many metal recycling rates are discouragingly low, and a ‘recycling society’ appears no more than a distant hope.” Achim Steiner, UN Undersecretary General and Executive Director of UNEP, said, “In theory, metals can be used over and over again, minimizing the need to mine and process virgin materials and thus saving substantial amounts of energy and water while minimizing environmental degradation. Raising levels of recycling world-wide can therefore contribute to a transition to a low carbon, resource efficient Green Economy while assisting to generate ‘green jobs’.” There is virtually no recycling of specialty metals, such as tellurium and selenium, used for high efficiency solar cells, and neodymium and dysprosium, used for wind turbine magnets. It is not yet possible to estimate how close industry is to a shortage of these specialty or rare earth metals, because information about the potential of mining to continue as their main source is so limited. According to Dr. Thomas Graedel, a professor of industrial ecology at Yale University and one of the report’s eight authors, “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. If we do not have these materials readily available at reasonable prices, a lot of modern technology simply cannot happen.”
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-05/udot-drl052311.php