NIMS and Tsukuba City to Conclude Agreement on Recovery of Cell Phones and Other Small Home Appliances and Recycling of Metals

Nanotechnology Network Program, Innovation Creation by Joint Use of Advanced Facilities Project, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)

2011.01.24

National Institute for Materials Science

NIMS and Tsukuba City plan to conclude a basic agreement for the purpose of establishing a system of mutual cooperation and carrying out effective efforts in connection with a project for the recovery of small home appliances and recycling of metals from those devices in close collaboration.

Abstract

  1. The National Institute for Materials Science (President: Sukekatsu Ushioda) and Tsukuba City (Mayor: Kenichi Ichihara) plan to conclude a basic agreement for the purpose of establishing a system of mutual cooperation and carrying out effective efforts in connection with a project for the recovery of small home appliances and recycling of metals from those devices in close collaboration.
  2. Under this agreement, NIMS and Tsukuba City will promote the project in mutual cooperation, through collaboration which will include technical and other advice, advice on citizen education activities, dispatch of experts, etc. related to the recovery and sorting of small home appliances and recycling of metals from those devices.
  3. Utilizing technologies developed by NIMS, it will be possible to recover the tungsten contained in cell phones for the first time in Japan. The agreement is also noteworthy for the establishment of an effective system for a metal recycling project through technical collaboration with private-sector companies, separate from the current national government subsidy program for rare metals recovered by local municipalities.
(Date and venue)
Date and time
  February 3, 2011 (Thursday), 4:00-4:30p.m.
Venue
  Tsukuba City Office, 5th Floor Conference Room
(Persons scheduled to attend)
  NIMS      Sukekatsu Ushioda, President, and other persons concerned
  Tsukuba City    Kenichi Ichihara, Mayor, and other persons concerned