Electronic waste contains precious metals and raw materials useful for digital and energy technologies. However, the presence of rare earths in a device does not mean they will be recovered when it is discarded. Worldwide, electronic waste recycling contributes around 1% of rare earth demand, according to the Global E-waste Monitor 2024.
This low level contrasts with the scale of waste flows. In 2022, the world generated 62 million tonnes of electronic waste, but only 22.3% by mass was documented as formally collected and recycled in an environmentally sound manner. The gap reveals recovery potential, but also industrial obstacles that still prevent most materials from returning to production chains.
Rare earths are present, but dispersed
“Rare earths” refers to a group of 17 elements with similar chemical properties used in various equipment: electric motors, speakers, hard drives, displays, lighting and control systems. Neodymium and praseodymium are notably used to make powerful permanent magnets. Dysprosium and terbium can improve their performance at high temperatures.
In discarded devices, these elements generally do not occur as an easily recoverable block. They are incorporated into small components, often alloyed with other metals, glued, coated or embedded in complex assemblies. Quantities per device are small and dispersed. A tonne of electronic waste may therefore contain several valuable materials, but components must be sorted and separated before treatment with appropriate processes.
Magnets from hard drives or motors offer a more targeted stream than indiscriminate recovery of rare earths from an entire device. When magnets can be removed before shredding and gathered in sufficient quantities, the process has better-characterized feedstock. This selective approach can facilitate recovery without guaranteeing profitability on its own: dismantling costs, stream purity, volumes and access to processing facilities remain decisive.
Why recovery struggles to scale up
The first limitation occurs before the factory: collection. Phones, computers and other equipment remain unused in households or enter recovery channels that do not necessarily separate magnets. The global rate of 22.3% measures waste formally collected and processed under sound conditions; it does not mean that the same proportion of each metal, particularly rare earths, is actually recovered.
The second limitation is processing. Conventional electronics recycling often prioritizes metals present in sufficiently large quantities or with sufficient value. Some operations may even destroy or dilute magnets into metal mixtures from which recovery becomes more complex. Rare earths are difficult to separate from one another because of their similar chemical properties. A specific stream and a purification stage capable of producing material meeting industrial users’ needs must therefore be designed.
The third limitation concerns the market. Recovered material has industrial value only if it meets the required quality and can be purchased regularly. Recyclers need contracts with magnet manufacturers or processors, while those buyers want consistent quality, reliable volumes and costs comparable with primary materials. Linking collection, processing and the market is often harder than a laboratory technical demonstration.
Africa’s dual priority: formalization and value creation
For African countries, electronic waste simultaneously involves public health, the environment and industrial policy. Used equipment can contain hazardous substances, while informal recovery methods expose workers and nearby residents to risks. Formalizing channels must nevertheless not exclude people already earning a living from repair and sorting. Suitable arrangements can improve safety, create collection points and direct recoverable fractions to qualified operators.
The first step towards a rare earth industry is not necessarily a large factory. Authorities and businesses must first understand the quantities and types of equipment circulating, organize take-back, secure storage and determine whether available volumes can feed specialized processing. Producer responsibility policies can help finance these operations and clarify who handles end-of-life collection.
Regional partnerships could also bring collected waste closer to dismantling and refining facilities. Not every country will have sufficient volumes to operate each stage. Sharing some steps, alongside common rules on traceability and cost allocation, can improve prospects compared with isolated facilities.
For countries already hosting rare earth mines or processing projects, secondary recovery can complement primary production and develop metallurgical skills. This complementarity nevertheless requires assessing energy, transport, reagent and residue treatment costs. A potential urban deposit must not be confused with an immediately recoverable reserve.
A strategic complement, rather than a rapid substitute
Demand for rare earths used in permanent magnets is growing with electrification, digital equipment and certain energy technologies. The IEA considers that increasing volumes of electric vehicle motors, wind turbines and electronics reaching end of life could offer significant recycling opportunities in coming years. Turning this potential into commercial supply will nevertheless depend on product design, collection, sorting and factories capable of separating elements cleanly.
In the short term, recycling therefore cannot replace mining supply. It can reduce losses, diversify sources and ease some pressure for new extraction when regular streams reach processors. For Africa, the challenge is to prevent this potential value being lost in opaque channels or exported without processing.
Practical indicators include growth in formally collected volumes, the share of components sorted before shredding, local separation capacity and purchase contracts for recovered materials. These measures will show the gap between electronic waste’s frequently announced potential and the emergence of a genuine regional industry for secondary rare earths.