How Scrappers Cash In On Gold From Your Old Computer | World Wide Waste | Business Insider

Business Insider2 minutes read

Electronic waste contains valuable materials that can be extracted using brute force or acid baths, with solo recyclers like Wade Collie partnering with startups to recover metals from circuit boards. Mint Innovation in Australia uses bacteria and fungi to extract gold and copper from e-waste efficiently, with a smaller environmental impact compared to traditional methods.

Insights

  • Valuable materials like gold, copper, and other metals can be extracted from e-waste using innovative methods like natural brews, bacteria, and fungi, offering profitable opportunities for solo recyclers like Wade Collie.
  • Unregulated e-waste recycling in places like Delhi poses serious health risks due to toxic fumes from burning electronics, emphasizing the urgent need for proper disposal methods to prevent long-lasting health issues and environmental damage.

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Recent questions

  • How can valuable materials be extracted from electronic waste?

    By using brute force or powerful acid baths.

  • What are solo recyclers and how do they handle e-waste?

    Emerging profitable option; using natural brew to recover metals.

  • What percentage of e-waste is formally collected in Australia and the US?

    About 9% in Australia and 15% in the US.

  • Can scrapping e-waste be a viable source of income?

    Yes, it can be a side hustle or primary income source.

  • What are the health risks associated with unregulated e-waste recycling?

    Severe health risks due to burning e-waste, leading to long-lasting issues.

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Summary

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"Profitable Solo Recyclers Tackle E-Waste Crisis"

  • Electronic waste contains valuable materials like plaum, tantalum, tin, lead, and steel, which can be extracted using brute force or powerful acid baths.
  • Solo recyclers are emerging as a profitable option for handling e-waste safely, with Wade Collie being a dumpster diver partnering with a startup to recover metals from circuit boards using a natural brew.
  • Only about 9% of e-waste in Australia and 15% in the US is formally collected, leaving much unwanted tech to pile up, waiting for scavengers.
  • Scrapping e-waste can be a side hustle or a primary income source, with some needing heavy-duty equipment that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
  • In places like Delhi, India, unregulated e-waste recycling poses severe health risks due to burning e-waste, leading to long-lasting health issues.
  • Mint Innovation, a startup in Sydney, Australia, uses a unique process involving bacteria and fungi to extract valuable metals like gold and copper from e-waste.
  • Mint's process is highly efficient, recovering significant amounts of gold daily and having a smaller environmental footprint compared to traditional recycling methods.
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