Recycling Gold. Why?

Humans pollute the air, water and earth in many ways, but the single most polluting activity done on earth is mining for gold. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), mercury pollution from trash incineration, hazardous waste collection, and mercury mining combined still does not add up to half the total amount of mercury pollution made annually by gold mining.

However, not all gold can be recovered from recycled items. It is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain the gold out of electronic products that are becoming more and more miniaturized. Fortunately, the high percentage of gold recycling is attributed to the high value placed on the mineral. It has been estimated that 85 percent of all the gold ever mined can currently be accounted for.

After gold has been mined, approximately 63 percent is used in jewelry (which includes art), 21 percent as coins, 15 percent in some kind of industrial use including electronics, and the other 1 percent in dental gold. Since gold jewelry and gold coins are usually kept as collector pieces, family heirlooms, or personal wear, the highest percentage of gold that can be recycled by the average person is in their electronics.

Itis a lot easier to recycle gold then mining for gold. Also, pollution is lessand economical it is more acceptable to recycle old gold components instead ofmining for gold from earth.