The smartest solution would be to direct the efforts towards an increase in metal recycling. The recent report "Recycling Rates of Metals: A Status Report" by UNEP's International Resource Panel draws a picture on the worldwide situation and finds that recycling rates of metals are in many cases far lower than their potential for reuse. This is particularly frustrating because metals are potentially endlessly recyclable, and their reuse could strongly reduce the need to mine and process virgin materials, thus saving substantial amounts of energy and water while minimizing environmental degradation.

According to the report, less than one-third of some 60 metals studied have an end-of-life recycling rate above 50 per cent and 34 elements are below 1 per cent recycling. Yet many of them are crucial to clean technologies such as batteries for hybrid cars or magnets in wind turbines.
The most recycled metal is lead, which reaches 80% in the ratings. At a lower level, around 50%, iron and other main components of steel and stainless steel, as well as platinum, gold, silver and most other precious metals are found. Meanwhile, globally there is virtually no recycling of the rest, including metals like Indium used in semiconductors, energy efficient light emitting diodes (LEDs), advanced medical imaging and photovoltaics.

To conclude, the report suggests a number of actions able to boost metals recycling worldwide:
_encouraging product design that makes disassembly and material separation easier;
_improving waste management and recycling infrastructure for complex end-of life products in developing countries and emerging economies;
_in industrialized countries, addressing the fact that many metal-containing products are 'hibernating' in places likes drawers and closets and others, such as mobile phones, are all too often ending up in dustbins.

For further information and to download the report please check here.