Abstract

The amount of non-hazardous electrical and electronic equipment waste in Hungary has surged by over 600% from 3,281 tonnes in 2004 to 23,939 tonnes in 2021, highlighting a pressing challenge in sustainable waste management. This paper explores the potential of urban mining as a solution to reclaim valuable metals from this growing electronic waste stream, aiming to reduce landfill disposal rates, support the circular economy, and lessen dependency on virgin resources. Specifically, it examines the feasibility of extracting metals from electrical and electronic equipment waste by using statistical models based on national waste management data and estimated average metal contents. Novelty lies in the data-driven approach to establishing theoretical stock data, which allows for projections of metal recovery potential within Hungary's waste stream. The estimated recovery potential spans a wide range, with projections of 3.13 to 93.8 tonnes for gold, 31.3 to 312.6 tonnes for silver, 1.56 to 6.25 tonnes for palladium, and 15,629.7 to 46,889.1 tonnes for copper, assuming a fully circular economy scenario is achieved. The landfilled WEEE contained substantial recoverable metals, including 0.23-6.80 tonnes of gold, 2.27-22.7 tonnes of silver, 0.11-0.45 tonnes of palladium, and 1,133.8-3,401.4 tonnes of copper. Findings provide insights into how urban mining can be optimized within local contexts and point to emerging trends that could enhance resource efficiency and sustainability in Hungary’s waste management practices.