E-Waste Recycling Emerges as Strategic Resource in Global Supply Chain Battle

The scramble for critical metals has taken an unexpected turn as the U.S. pivots toward urban mining. With President Trump's 50% copper tariff squeezing global supplies, recyclers are now targeting landfills brimming with discarded electronics. Glencore, Full Circle Electronics, and startups like Illumynt are racing to extract neodymium, praseodymium, and terbium from obsolete devices—materials essential for defense systems and green energy infrastructure.

Quebec's Glencore smelter exemplifies the shift, where 15% of feedstock now comes from recycled electronics. "People don't realize how big this can be," says Kunal Sinha, the company's global recycling head. The operation recovers not just base metals like copper, but precious palladium and platinum once written off as waste.