Critical raw materials, the recycling supply chain stops halfway
Inside an old smartphone, a solar panel or an electric car battery, there are metals that Europe buys almost all abroad. Recovering them is possible, but it happens little today. The...
The European Union aims to recycle at least 25% of strategic raw materials, such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and rare earths, by 2030. Currently, recycling rates are low, with rare earths being recycled at around 1% and silicon from photovoltaic panels not being recycled at all in Europe. Italy is working to address this issue, with the Minister of Enterprises, Adolfo Urso, announcing plans to create a European hub for recycling critical raw materials, potentially at the port of Marghera or near Rotterdam.
The country faces challenges in collecting and processing waste, with 100,000 tonnes of small appliances and 6,000 tonnes of batteries being thrown away each year, and a lack of facilities for extracting valuable materials.
Written by urgent.news from Il Sole 24 Ore's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
