economy
How a change in recycling can beat China's rare earths monopoly
The Trump-Xi summit in Beijing ended without any renewed disruptions in trade. Trump held back on new tariffs while China’s endorsement of “strategic stability” means, for now, it will continue to export rare earth minerals — elements China dominates to the tune of 90-plus percent and that are crucial to the electronics in your pocket.
TL;DR
- China dominates over 90% of the global rare earth minerals market, essential for electronics.
- Recovering rare earth minerals from e-waste could neutralize China's advantage.
- One kilogram of mixed e-waste can be worth $168, and hard drives up to $454, if properly processed.
- Only about a quarter of e-waste is currently reused.
- The U.S. Department of Energy is offering $500 million for research into domestic critical minerals processing and recycling.