Recycling for a Sustainable Future

Don't we need minerals? Of course we need minerals. But what is the best way to acquire the minerals we need? Some would say through mining. However, according to EPA data, the hard rock/metal mining industry is consistently ranked as the largest industrial source of toxic pollution in the U.S.¹. Metal mining releases over 1 billion pounds of toxic chemicals annually, including arsenic, lead, and mercury. In addition, Lloyd's Register Foundation World Risk Poll report indicates that mining and quarrying is the sector with the third highest prevalence of workplace harm globally². Why do we focus so much on a poluting and dangerous industry when we should instead be recycling?

Mining is not a sustainable activity. What happens in the future as we mine out the known mineral deposits? What will our children and future generations do when the minerals in the ground are gone? It is irresponsible on our part to leave future generations with a mess to clean up and no raw materials to build their future. We are accountable for our actions, and the impact they will have moving forward.

Mineral Recycling Progress

Mineral recycling efforts to date point to many successes yet there are areas for improvement needed. For example, the USGS 2026 data indicates that between 70-75% of steel produced in the US is from recycled scrap³. The USGS points out that recycling 1 ton of steel conserves 1.1 tons of high grade iron ore, 0.6 ton of coking coal, and 0.05 ton of limestone. Recycling scrap also conserves energy because the remelting of scrap requires much less energy than the production of iron or steel products from iron ore. The scrap recycling rate in the United States has averaged between 80% and 90% during the past decade, with automobiles making up the primary source of old steel scrap. Recycling of steel from automobiles is estimated to save the equivalent energy necessary to power 18 million homes every year. Indeed, the data from the Minnesota Tax Guide⁴ indicates that Minnesota only produces about 1% of worldwide iron ore. If taconite mining in Minnesota ends today, the world markets would not notice the difference.

A promising picture is also apparent with USGS Nickel recycling data that shows nickel recovered from scrap accounting for approximately 60% of apparent consumption in 2025⁶. Recycling is by far the major source of nickel in the US.

More effort needs to be made with copper recycling. The USGS reports between 30-35% of US copper consumption is from recycled sources⁷. The challenge is that many common uses of copper are difficult to recycle. For example, copper used in electronics is difficult and costly to recycle since the net amount of copper is small and hard to recover. Most of our electronic products are comprised of plastics, aluminum and other synthetic materials, not copper. In addition, there is little infrastructure for copper recycling in the US. Commonly, recyclers will charge consumers a fee to recycle their old electronic appliances. This is because most shredded material from electronics recycling in the United States is shipped overseas for smelting. This is an energy-intensive process that uses extreme heat to melt down mixed materials and extract metals.

How Much Copper and Nickel Does the US Have?

The USGS report on copper shows that the US only produces 4.3% of the world's supply of copper and the US only possesses 4.8% of worldwide copper reserves. The US only produces 0.25% percent of the worldwide supply of nickel and only holds approximately the same percentage of reserves. As such, the US based nickel mining makes no difference in the worldwide market.

Mining companies claim that the Minnesota Duluth complex is one of the richest copper/nickel regions in the world. However, this claim is not supported by fact. If you look at the orignal research study from the University of Minnesota that surveyed copper/nickel, the report estimates that the Duluth Complex contains roughly 13.8 million tons of copper and 4.6 million tons of nickel. However, the USGS copper report indicats that worldwide, identified resources contain 1.5 billion tons of unextracted copper and undiscovered resources contain an estimated 3.5 billion tons of copper. Thus, the Duluth Complex possesses less than 1% of worldwide copper resources. Certainly NOT a one of the richest copper areas in the world - just mining company marketing. A similar conclusion can be made for nickel. The UMN report also notes that the mineral deposits in the Duluth Complex are "marginal economically". That is, the mineral grade is so low that mining of these minerals may not be economically feasible.

Recycling Businesses and Programs

A new startup called Reclaiming Critical Metals (RCM) on the Iron Range is working to provide a Minnesota solution⁸. The idea is to employ new processes using innovative mechanical separation at room temperature, crushing and grinding followed by magnets, eddy currents, optical sensors and air classifiers to sort metals into high-purity streams. The technology would use no heat or chemicals. In addition to the work being done in Minnesota, these new processes offer a short turn around for recycled minerals.

Macalester College's CollectED project is a Minnesota-based education and outreach initiative designed to increase consumer battery recycling, reprocessing, and collection. Led by professor Dr. Roopali Phadke, a professor of environmental studies at Macalester College, the project hopes to change behavior and improve sustainability in Minnesota and beyond. CollectED estimates 266 million pounds of electronic waste could be recycled in Minnesota each year, but only about 24 percent of that is actually recycled¹⁰. Electronic waste can be a sustainable path to both good jobs and a source for the minerals we need for the energy transition.

This is just a small sampling of recycling efforts in Minnesota. We all need to do our part to make this happen. Recycling is not a spectator sport. Recycle - because our legacy depends on it.

Recycling for a Sustainable Future

Mineral Recycling Progress

How Much Copper and Nickel Does the US Have?

Recycling Businesses and Programs

References