(ATR) This week Shunichi Suzuki, the minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, dropped into a collection box four mobile phones his family had once used, to kick off the latest campaign in the ongoing medal collection drive.
Yoshiyuki Mitani, a member of Secretariat of the Headquarters for Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics Cabinet Secretariat, confirmed to Around the Rings different government ministries and agencies have joined to help in the efforts to collect recycled electronics, which will help produce Olympic medals.
The "Tokyo 2020 Medal Project" is an ongoing effort to solicit donations of mobile phones and other used electronics. The collection "relay" began last April, and expects to collect enough metal to produce approximately 5,000 gold, silver, and bronze medals for the Olympics.
"The boxes to gather used home electric appliances are at almost each ministry and agency" Mitani, said to ATR. "The government began placing boxes at ministries and agencies to collect used mobile phones and others containing precious metals that will be used to make medals."
Boxers were installed on June 16 at the government ministries in an effort to solicit more donations. Mobile phones, laptop computers, smartphones, digital cameras, digital video cameras, portable audio player, portable game machine, electronic dictionary, accessories, are all eligible for collection. Collection will run until July 6.
Some 10 kilograms of gold, 1,230 kilograms of silver and 736 kilograms of bronze will be required, according to a report earlier this year from the Yomiuri Shimbun. Organizers said they believe enough bronze and gold will be collected, but there is worry about the amount of silver needed for the project.
According Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee this project will be an exercise in citizen participation to manufacture medals with the help of people from across Japan.
"We will target a 100% recycling rate in the refining of gold, respecting the environment by using scrap metals in the manufacture of medals, and employing Japanese technological expertise" a Tokyo 2020 spokesperson said.
"The idea of using recycled metals in medals has been used in the past. However, this project makes Tokyo 2020 a first in the history of the Olympics and Paralympics by involving citizens in the collection of consumer electronics for the purpose of manufacturing medals, and manufacturing medals from the extracted gold."
Written by Miguel Hernandez
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