ANSWERING QUESTIONS NOW
Our experts answer your questions about mining & climate
Our team of scientists, lawyers, and subject-matter experts have been diving deep into industry claims about the role of mining in addressing the climate crisis. Explore questions submitted to our team about our Mining the Climate Crisis work below. Do you have a question of your own? Join the conversation!
Mineral demand
Answered by MCEA Northeast Minnesota Program Associate Abby Dougherty
At this time, around 68% of the nickel in consumer products comes from recycled sources, and about 40% of our demand for copper is met through recycling. These figures are bound to grow as we capture more metals before they are sent to the landfill and as more already-mined metals enter circulation. Over time, we can create a circular economy that limits the need for newly-mined metals, if we also take action to cut unnecessary and unsustainable consumption through policies like Right to Repair, as Dr. Roopali Phadke explains in this blog post. From MCEA’s perspective, we should maximize the use of already-mined metals and pursue opportunities to reduce metals demand first, then consider what mining is needed. And of course, not every mining proposal is wise or needed, regardless of overall demand.
Answered by MCEA Northeast Minnesota Program Associate Abby Dougherty
1. INVEST IN RECYCLING
Minnesota only captures about 24 percent of electronics available for recycling, which contain valuable metals used in clean energy technologies. And despite a push for new copper and nickel sulfide mines, recycling rates hover around just 34% for copper and 48% for nickel, according to the USGS.* With serious investment and bold policy, recycling could disrupt the mining industry’s monopoly on the metals market and supply materials needed for the clean energy transition.
*Note that these statistics are recycling rates, while those included in the previous question report demand met via recycled sources.
2. REPAIR AND REUSE
Right to Repair legislation would make it easier and more affordable for people to fix electronics and other products rather than replacing them, which would reduce demand for metals. If everyone in Minnesota kept their cellphones for 1 more year, for example, we’d save 132,000 tons of raw material annually–the equivalent of taking 10,800 cars off the road. All mineral demand, whether for smartphones or wind turbines, draws from the same fixed resource pool, which makes economy-wide mineral demand reductions necessary.
Reuse and Recycling
Answered by MCEA Chief Strategy Officer Aaron Klemz
While reaching 100% collection and recycling would be a challenge, certainly we can do better than our current collection rate of 23.7%. The United Kingdom currently collects 67% of their e-waste, as does Denmark. The study that Maria Jensen from Repowered references in this webinar is intended to show policymakers the potential in our e-waste, but approaching 100% collection and recycling will require investment and policy change.
Answered by MCEA Healthy Communities Program Director Evan Mulholland
In our webinar with Adam Minter, he pointed out that the economically best location for recycling operations is near the manufacturing facilities that would use the materials. In the U.S., the legacy of redlining and racially-biased zoning decisions has concentrated manufacturing and the associated pollution in low-income and BIPOC majority communities. While recycling operations are cleaner than mining, they can also create air and water pollution, especially if they are poorly regulated. If co-location of recycling and manufacturing occurs in overburdened communities, the cumulative impact must be considered.
Answered by MCEA Chief Strategy Officer Aaron Klemz
There is a lot of work happening to maximize recycling of solar panels at their end of life, or if they are damaged. Since solar panel manufacturing and installation is increasing dramatically, and since these panels have a lifespan of 20 years or more, getting ready to recycle a wave of panels in upcoming years is important. This will require policy actions (such as extended producer responsibility laws), development of more efficient recycling operations to reduce the cost, and a commitment to use recycled materials. We see the cost of recycling solar panels dropping quickly, and the political resolve to address this concern.
Policy and Legislation
Answered by MCEA Legislative Director Andrea Lovoll
Answer: There are a lot of ways to improve Minnesota’s e-waste recycling laws and practices. According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, just 23.7% of e-waste in Minnesota is collected for recycling, a rate that has been declining for years. Our current e-waste law was passed in 2007, and needs to be updated. It relies on “producer responsibility organizations,” which are third parties created by electronics manufacturers, who distribute credits to e-waste processors. The credit system is intended to subsidize and create markets for collected e-waste, but this approach largely fails to make e-waste recycling economically viable for industry and convenient for consumers. For example, in rural areas of Minnesota, you may need to travel long distances and pay a hefty fee to drop off e-waste. Because recycling services aren’t easily accessible and recyclers aren’t incentivized to improve the situation, collection rates remain low. We expect legislation to update Minnesota’s e-waste laws to be introduced this year (2023) and to be debated during the 2024 legislative session.
Answered by MCEA Chief Strategy Officer Aaron Klemz
Answer: Yes, but it is easier for government to impose requirements on itself than it is to require businesses to do so. Minnesota is considering “Buy Clean” legislation that would favor materials (such as steel and concrete) that are made through processes that result in less pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Many large businesses have also made commitments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. This means that cleaner materials, especially recycled ones, may be able to command a premium price. Over time, the development of this market for clean materials will be a critical part of the work to increase recycling.