The Recycled Medals of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics

The Summer Olympic Games in 2020 will be held in Tokyo, Japan, and the East Asian country is preparing so much for the big day. The Tokyo Organizing Committee keeps on releasing new updates regarding the summer games, and people are becoming more excited as the year 2020 comes in due to the excessive use of new technology from the man-made comets that will light up the sky during the opening ceremony to the medals that will be used to award those who triumphed. Environmentalists are saying that the move to create medals out of electronic waste would help the planet, and it will also encourage everyone to recycle. Each smartphone and laptop that is manufactured today have a small portion of gold, silver, and bronze inside allowing the device to function properly. These metals are used as connectors for the integrated circuit board because they could not corrode easily. There are millions of smartphones and laptops being thrown out in Japan, and the Tokyo Organizing Committee decided to use these junk devices as source material for creating medals. The organizing committee stated that they do not want to mine new materials because of its limited supply in Japan, but recycling from used materials would help them drastically because of its availability.

The Tokyo Organizing Committee stated that they are targeting to create 5,000 pieces of medals, and they are near their target. The committee started their quest on recovering electronic waste in 2017, and the project instantly became a hit because of how it was presented to the public. People from Japan’s largest cities started to work together and collected the metals that will be used for the games. Everyone is excited to take part in the activity, and some have donated their devices that no longer work. The Tokyo Organizing Committee campaigned all over the country and asked each household to donate their gadgets that no longer work. Others have chosen to dispose of their broken devices, helping the committee with their goal. Each device handed out by a Japanese citizen has a lot of memories stored in it, and recycling it into a symbol of victory will make everyone remember the Japanese way of life. Environmentalists all over Japan are saying that the move to recycle electronic waste would have a positive effect on the environment, and it would also decrease the number of toxins in their landfills. Electronic waste is notorious because of its high amount of toxins, especially the chemicals that are leaked by the battery from the device. However, people are still trying to collect metals from it, despite the warnings from the authorities that it might make them sick. Dumpsites filled with electronic waste are considered as an urban gold mine, attracting a huge number of the population who are targeting the precious metals inside the junked device.

Through the years, the amount of electronic waste produced by humans is increasing. Environmentalists have warned about the consequences of the spike in the number of devices thrown out in each home, and the world’s landfills could be easily filled with these junk if there are no drastic actions taken. The problem with the rising number of electronic waste was seen as an opportunity by the Tokyo Organizing Committee to engage in a massive recycling effort. Many people in Japan participated in the activity, and it gave the organizing committee a steady supply of the metals that they will be using to create more than 5,000 pieces of medals. The project was launched back in April 2017, and according to the organizers of the project, they were able to retrieve a handful amounts of the metals that they would need for the creation of the medals. Based on the current report, they have collected around 16.5 kilograms of gold, which is more than half of the 30.3-kilogram target. They also collected more than 1,800 kilograms of silver, which is around 43.9% of their 4,100-kilogram target. Bronze is easier to retrieve, and the committee announced that the target has been reached. Masa Takaya, one of the spokespeople for the 2020 event, stated that the project allowed the Japanese people to participate in the preparation stage for the 2020 Summer Olympics, making the event more special for their citizens.

Despite the huge number of metals retrieved from the massive recycling effort in Japan, environmentalists are saying that it is not enough. Around the world, only 20% of electronic waste is being recycled, and the rest end up in dumpsites, piling up each year and making the landfills more toxic. The United Nations released a series of data concerning the rate of increasing electronic waste in our dump sites. According to their figures, there is a 3% to 4% annual increase for the number of electronic waste thrown out in landfills, and in 2016, the world produced 44.7 million tonnes of electronic waste. 44.7 million tonnes of electronic waste is not a joke, and to visualize how much waste was produced, this amount could easily fill 1.23 million 18-wheeler dump trucks weighing 40 tonnes. By the year 2021, the electronic waste produced by humans would reach 52 million tonnes. If the world would not decide on a drastic measure on how they could stop the generation of these wastes, the world would drown in electronic junk, and it would poison the environment.

One of the main problems why electronic waste keeps on piling up is the lack of recycling efforts from different governments around the world. If each national government would imitate what Japan is doing, the amount of electronic waste could be reduced greatly. In the present, most of the electronic waste is struggling to reach the designated collection centers, and only 20% are actually recycled. The remaining 80% of electronic waste is dumped in landfills, being passed on to less developed countries to be used for something else or being stored and forgotten inside homes. If the countries would start to recycle their electronic waste, they would be surprised to find a huge deposit of precious metals hiding in plain sight. If there was an intensive recycling campaign against electronic waste, countries lacking mines and precious minerals would benefit greatly. Japan is a great example of a country that only has a limited amount of raw materials that can be used to create medals. However, they have formulated an amazing solution that would allow them to collect the metals that they need while helping the environment recover. Even if Japan has its own gold mine, the amount of gold that can be retrieved from electronic waste is much higher. In a gold mine, a tonne of ores could produce up to four grams of gold. However, a tonne of electronic waste could provide up to 350 grams of gold. Experts are saying that if the world would place their eyes on electronic waste, then 25% of the demand for the metal can be reached.

In the past, recycled materials were also used to create Olympic medals. Back in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the organizing committee decided to ship in 1.5% of metals from a Belgian urban mine. In 2016, the government of Brazil decided to extract 30% of silver from X-ray plates, mirrors, and waste solders. On the other hand, 40% of the copper was extracted from mint waste, which will later be used to create the bronze medals. However, the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics is unique because the committee wanted to use 100% electronic waste as source material for their medals. They are also collecting the waste exclusively from Japanese households, and they are not accepting any metal donation from overseas. Another reason for the success of the project is the eagerness of the Japanese people to participate in it. According to reports, by June 2018, municipal authorities across Japan have been collecting more than 34,000 tonnes of electronic device donated by the public. Telecom shops, on the other hand, managed to collect 4.32 million pieces of used mobile devices. For every tonne of electronic waste collected, people will be able to extract 350 grams of gold — enough to create 58 pieces of gold medals. The Japanese people felt proud of their accomplishment, saying that donating their mobile phones and other gadgets allowed them to become an indirect participant of the Olympic Games. People from around the world were amazed at how the Japanese can be effective in recycling and hope that their countries would imitate the programs. Even celebrities and politicians who have heard about the efforts of the Japanese government started giving their commendation regarding the efforts of the East Asian country to protect the environment.

The collection of electronic waste to be used for the medals will be symbolic, addressing the issue faced by the Olympic Games regarding its sustainability. Brazil, which is a less developed country compared to Japan, struggled with hosting the games in Rio de Janeiro. In the end, the South American country managed to pull it off, and gave the audiences a great experience while boosting the country’s tourism industry at the same time. In Japan, the committee stated that the sustainability issues can be addressed through the collective efforts from different government agencies that are working with each other. The United Nations estimated that the amount of electronic waste recycled in Japan regarding their aim to collect metals for the creation of medals is only 3% of the country’s annual electronic waste output. Japan produces two million tonnes of electronic waste per year, and what is recycled are only precious metals. The remaining wastes are brought back to the landfill, causing more pollution. Japan should think of ways on how they would be able to recycle the parts which do not contain precious metals.

Despite the challenges faced by the production of excessive electronic waste in Japan, environmentalists around the world are praising the efforts from the country because of the bold move on how they could reach the demands of being an Olympic Game host. The production of medals from precious metals obtained from electronic waste is a small step towards a better future with more focus on recycling. Environmentalists have also lobbied for the changes in the lifestyle of people around the world, urging them to limit the sale of electronic devices, as well as controlling its production. People should work together to help protect the planet from further degradation, and it can be achieved if everyone will work together and cooperate with one another. If everyone on the planet would start recycling their electronic waste, there is a chance that the amount of toxins in landfills would decrease. This will ensure that everyone will still be able to enjoy nature’s gifts, and continue to move on with life.