E-waste could help close UK’s net zero copper gap

The study, conducted by Recycle your Electricals with Bloomberg Intelligence, found that UK households contain 38,449 tonnes of copper inside unwanted and discarded electricals. The UK currently uses around 250,0000 tonnes of copper per year, but this figure is expected to rise considerably to meet the demands of growing electrification. By 2033, the global copper gap is estimated to be 6.5 million tonnes, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.  

“Supplying the world’s copper requirements over the next 10 years is going to be challenging, with the market potentially facing severe shortages in five to ten years,” said Grant Sporre, senior analyst, Metals and Mining at Bloomberg Intelligence. 

“All the shallow, easy-to-extract copper deposits have been mined out. Securing social and environmental approval to build new mines is becoming harder, and it can take up to 15 years to commence mining. This, together with the growing demand for copper and the drive to decarbonise, is going to require a significant amount more copper.