British media: Extracting gold from electronic waste, the British Mint is undergoing a "transformation"
2024-08-08
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[Global Times Comprehensive Report] The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported on the 7th that as the use of cash decreases, the British Royal Mint is undergoing a "transformation" and has begun to undertake the business of processing discarded electronic waste and extracting gold from it. The report said: "Electronic waste has become a new way for this state-owned company to make money and keep jobs."
It is reported that the Royal Mint of the United Kingdom has built a large factory in Llantrisant, South Wales, which is specially used to extract precious metals such as gold from old circuit boards. The extracted gold will first be used to make jewelry, and may also be used to make commemorative coins in the future. According to John, the operations director of the Royal Mint, the goal of the new factory is to process more than 4,000 tons of electronic waste each year. In reality, about 450 kilograms of gold can be extracted from 4,000 tons of electronic waste, so at current prices, the new factory can generate about 27 million pounds of revenue each year. John said, "In the past, these wastes would be shipped overseas, but now we keep them in the UK."
Data provided by the United Nations show that in 2022, 62 million tons of electronic waste will be discarded worldwide, including old components of all electronic devices such as old mobile phones and old computers. In the United Nations' 2024 electronic waste report, the UK is the second country with the most electronic waste per capita, second only to Norway. In addition, the latest forecast shows that the amount of global electronic waste will increase by about 1/3 in 2030. This seems to be "good news" for the Royal Mint of the United Kingdom because it can expand its business. Jessop, CEO of the Royal Mint, also said, "Considering that fewer and fewer people are needed to make coins now, companies will transfer some workers to deal with electronic waste, which can not only keep employees' jobs, but also expand new business areas." In addition to extracting gold, the company is also studying how to deal with other materials such as aluminum, copper, tin and steel separated from circuit boards, and apply ground circuit boards to the construction industry.
The BBC commented that entering the waste recycling business is a major change for the Royal Mint. For more than 1,000 years, the factory has been the official coin manufacturer of the United Kingdom, responsible for producing British circulating coins and commemorative coins. It is worth mentioning that the medals for the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics were made by the factory. (Lu Shu)
