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How many times have we heard this from our friends, acquaintances and relatives who smoke? More importantly, how many times have we seen someone throw a cigarette butt on the ground?

The Apex Landfill in Las Vegas is the largest in the United States, spanning approximately 900 hectares of land. A huge black hole with a 250-year lifespan and a capacity of 50 million tonnes of waste. And it’s not alone.

In the words of the European Commission, "Energy transition is a transition of materials." There is no room for delusion in this matter. To electrify, digitalize, and decarbonize the economy, raw materials are a necessity, particularly minerals and metals. These resources, when of strategic economic importance and concurrently characterized by a high supply risk, are classified as Critical Raw Materials (CRMs).

As technology advances, waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is steadily increasing, especially small items. Often abandoned in cupboards and drawers, they are a valuable source of raw materials. Systematically collecting and recycling them is important both ecologically and economically: they contain precious metals, extracting which requires complex processing, and other materials that fall in the critical raw materials category. Improving the collection of this waste is therefore very important for the circular economy.

Seas and oceans are vital lungs of our planet, regulate the climate, and are cradles of biodiversity. Plastic, used everywhere because of its versatility, does not biodegrade easily, and its excessive accumulation in the seas and oceans is compromising their function and has become a major problem.