What does the resource recovery model involve?

• A. Crushing rocks for ore
• B. Extracting precious metals from circuit boards and repurposing remaining materials
• C. Importing rare earths
• D. Producing new synthetic materials

Answer: (B)

Resource recovery focuses on reclaiming materials from waste and end-of-life products instead of pulling new resources from the earth. It involves extracting valuable components from items that would otherwise be discarded and then repurposing or recycling the remaining materials. In practice, recovering resources from electronics means pulling out precious metals from circuit boards and then finding uses for the rest of the materials. This fits with a circular economy approach and helps lower environmental impact by reducing demand for virgin minerals and cutting waste. The other activities describe creating or sourcing new materials rather than reclaiming value from existing products.