Together with partners (INZIN, PROGNOS, and TBF Ingenieure), N³ developed the recycling potential of metals that can be recovered in Bonn, also known as the city of Beethoven, through “Urban Mining”. Special interest was shown in “Critical Raw Materials,” which are raw materials or metals not extracted in Europe but are of enormous importance for our future. Examples include cobalt and lithium for high-energy batteries, and neodymium for high-efficiency magnets, as well as gallium and tellurium for solar energy.
This research allows us to formulate a resource strategy for the Federal City of Bonn. The project included: The project included:
– a study of the raw material potentials in the urban area
– an action plan for further development in the collection of waste electrical and electronic equipment and batteries
– contributions of waste management to the sustainability strategy of the city of Bonn.
N³ also examined the legal options that Bonn has within the framework of building permits, as an environmental authority, or as a public waste management authority, to promote resource conservation.
Henning Friege will present the results of this study at the ISWA World Congress 2019 in Bilbao. Click here for the publication in the magazine “Müll und Abfall”.
Photo credit: Beethoven in front of Bonn Post Office, Source: Press Office City of Bonn
