Tokyo launches mobiles-to-medals campaign

Feb 16, 2017 - 9:48 AM Members of the Japanese public have lined up to donate unwanted mobile phones that will be recycled into medals for the 2020 Olympic Games, in a project aimed at promoting environmental sustainability.

More than 100 people have dropped their used handsets into a box that displayed the number of donations.

"I came today because I thought it's great that my old mobile phones will become medals for the 2020 Olympic Games," said Hiromi Sakushima, a 55-year-old resident of Kawasaki, near Tokyo.

The project is part of an effort to save costs after the budget for the Tokyo Games ballooned to more than $US26.5 billion ($A34.4 billion) at one point, though organisers have reduced that sum to $US16.8 billion ($A21.8 billion).

Organisers hope to collect up to eight tonnes of metal from outdated mobile phones and small electronic appliances, from which gold, silver and bronze will be extracted to make 5,000 Olympic and Paralympic medals.

Hiroki Yamashita, who brought along 17 outdated phones from his family, said he was proud to contribute to the campaign.

"As a resident of Tokyo, it gets me really excited for these Olympic Games, which I will get to see for the first time in my life," the 18-year-old said.

At recent Olympic Games, the gold medals have been merely gold-plated, and they are actually made of silver, while the bronze medals are mostly copper in composition.

Source: AAP