Minerals, Wealth and Progress - Mining and the Environment: From Ore to Metal - page 9

obtrusive and requires less energy than producing primary raw minerals, particularly
the case with aluminium. However, mineral recycling has its own set of environmental
impacts. For some minerals, high recycling rates have already been achieved ( Table 1.2 ).
In Europe, the share of the secondary fraction (the share of scrap in the total input to pro-
duction/smelting) for silver, copper and lead exceeds 50 % and is about 35 to 50 % for steel,
aluminium and zinc (EEA 2005). In the US, recycling rates in 1998 were 59% for iron and
steel, 39 % for aluminium, 37 % for copper, and about 22% for zinc (Hudson et al . 1999).
Recycling of any commodity depends on the relative cost of recycling versus the cost
of primary production. As the commodity price increases, the economics of recycling
become more favourable. However, this simple relativity may be changed by government

Mineral recycling has its own set
of environmental impacts.

TABLE 1.2
Production, Consumption, and Recycling of Metals

Steel Aluminium Copper Lead Gold

Cumulative total
world production
(in tons)

32 billion tons of
crude steel

573 million 409

million*

204
million*

128,000 -
140,000

Recent annual world
consumption (in tons)

837 million 24.9 million 15.1 million 6.2 million 3,948

Share of total metal
consumption derived
from recycled material

US 79%, West Europe
55%, East and SE Asia
52%, rest of western
world 46%

North America
35%, Western
Europe 31%, Asia
25%, world 29%

Western
world 35%

US 70%,
rest of
western
world 55%

Western
world 35%

*World production from 1900-2000 Because the extraction of aluminium from alumina requires an enormous

amount of electrical energy, the aluminium industry initiated processes to
recycle used aluminium and was one of the fi rst industries to do so.

Source:
MMSD 2002

CASE 1.1
Battery Lead Recycling in Germany

In Germany, as in most countries, discarded automobile
batteries constitute the main source of recycled lead. Being
environmentally sensible, battery recycling seems a practical
and easy solution to extending the life-cycle of lead. On
the surface, considering that mining costs do not occur,
producing lead from recycled batteries seems also to be a
very lucrative business. Reality differs. In the early years
there were no incentives for battery owners to prevent
uncontrolled dumping of batteries into the environment.
Once penalty and reward systems were introduced to sup-
port battery recycling, the supporting infrastructure such as

means of collection and transport were lacking. Dismantling
of batteries proved diffi cult, and generated a wide range
of undesirable hazardous wastes as by products. Lead
recyclers expanded into plastic recycling to reduce some of
the waste streams now facing the considersable technologi-
cal challenge of separating various types of plastics. During
the 1990s, the lead market became increasingly fl ooded
with primary lead produced by Eastern European mining
operations at low cost, being subject to less stringent
environmental laws and regulations. Ironically at the same
time European governments pressed forward to reduce the

use of lead, even considering the extreme step of banning
its use. As this example clearly illustrates, a successful
recycling scheme requires the commitment of many
parties - government, consumers, and industry.