Recycled Goods To Be Used At Japan's Olympics

In a showcase of how far Japan – and the world – have come in the world of recycling, Olympic organizers in Tokyo are planning for a truly incredible showcase of recycled goods in the 2020 Summer Olympics. For the first time ever, all of the medals for the Olympics will be made from recycled materials. Specifically, they will be made using recycled e-waste currently being collected around the country.

Community Involvement in Recycling

One aspect of the recycling program that is sure to make Japan stand out is how they’re going about the endeavor. A few weeks ago the Government of Japan started their push to collect nearly twenty thousand pounds of metal. Specifically gold, silver and bronze – the three medals that can be won at the Olympics. That will be enough to produce the 5,000 medals handed out yearly throughout all of the men’s, women’s and Paralympic events.

How Canada Compares

In the Olympics hosted in Canada in 2010, the organizers in Vancouver attempted a very similar program. While it was successful for a first-of-its-kind mission, it only produced about 1/4th of the medals awarded at the games. In addition, the medals that did contain recycled goods only contained a small percentage of recycled goods, likely due to the limited scope of the e-waste used.

How Canada Differs

The biggest difference between the both cities using e-waste recycling is that Vancouver focused their collection on old circuit boards, which are known to contain various different metals. Japan on the other hand is encouraging the donation of everything, including the circuit boards, but as well as any other e-waste that may be available. Japan has a goal of creating every single one of the 5,000 medals using recycled material, meaning that they plan on collection exponentially more scrap. With a population nearly four times the size of Canada, it is a little easier to come by in Japan!