[COFF] Re: Typical Fate of Older Hardware

Paul Winalski wrote in <CABH=_VQvVkMtK9V7_etXzLo3aoOBoriCgW07fM9vdyt83vLTfA(a)mail.gmail.com>: |I just read that on average one gram of gold is extracted from one ton |of gold ore. Between the circuit runs inside chip packages and the |gold coating on contacts, I'd think that discarded circuit boards |could match conventional gold ore in terms of yield. | |There's a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth concerning the world's |supply of rare earth metals, which are needed for, among other things, |the permanent magnets in disk drives. Wouldn't discarded hard drives |be a good source of these metals vs. virgin ores? The entire world has to go closed-loop economy. Our (the german) chancellor (and despite the absolutely non-understandable support of the frantic west) is talking this ever since. First really europe-wide noted in his speech at "Karlsuniversität Prag"(ue) in August last year. Die Technologien dafür sind heute schon da. Was wir brauchen, sind gemeinsame Standards für den Einstieg in eine echte europäische Kreislaufwirtschaft ‑ ich nenne es: ein strategisches Update unseres Binnenmarkts. The necessary technologies exist already today. What we need are common standards to enter a real european closed-loop economy -- i call it: a strategic update of our domestic market. 'Problem seems to be that the hundreds of millions of (most often, poor) refugees which have to leave the coasts inland-wise, and all the "contained" countries, and all the exsanguinated countries, will not have the necessary resources to do the necessary investment. Of course -- we can then sell something. --steffen | |Der Kragenbaer, The moon bear, |der holt sich munter he cheerfully and one by one |einen nach dem anderen runter wa.ks himself off |(By Robert Gernhardt)