E -waste contains $21 billion worth gold and silver

Dabbling in e-waste may just be the next gold rush. Electronic machines use so much of gold and silver that their waste would make a profitable business, said experts at a meeting organised by the United Nations University and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative in Accra, Ghana. Precious metals such as gold have wide use in electronics because they are efficient conductors of electricity.

Gold doesn't corrode, thus providing for uninterrupted supply of current and voltage in connectors, circuits, connecting wires, etc. In fact, experts at the Ghana meeting said that over 320 tons of gold and over 7,500 tons of silver are used annually to make personal computers, cell phones, tablet computers and other new electronic and electrical products worldwide.

Read more: The Times of India, 9 July 2012