Medals for 2020 Olympics from recycled phones unveiled in Tokyo

At a time when most Nations are at a loss as to what to do with used gadgets and other unusable household equipment and wastes, Japanese Authorities have taken re-cycling to the next level ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

Japanese Authorities on Wednesday unveiled Medals that will be presented to athletes at the next Olympics made from recycled gadgets, namely old electronics and mobile phones.

The Tokyo 2020 organising committee said a total of 78,985 tonnes of old devices had been collected from across the host country, including more than 6.21 million used mobile phones.

Designed by Junichi Kawanishi, each of the 5,000 medals contains metals extracted from consumer electronics handed in by the Japanese public over the last two years.

Digital cameras, handheld games devices and laptops were also collected, dismantled and melted down as part of the scheme

The organisers said the target of 30.3kg of gold, 4,100kg of silver and 2,700kg of bronze was reached by the time the gadget collection closed at the end of March.

There are also plans to recycle household plastic waste and marine plastic waste to use in the creation of podiums for medal ceremonies.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay uniforms the organisers added will be produced in part using recycled plastic bottles.

The Olympic medals’ design was chosen from more than 400 entries from professional designers and design students.

“I never dreamed that the design I submitted only as a memorial to this lifetime event would be actually selected. I hope the medals will be seen as paying tribute to the athletes’ efforts, reflecting their glory, and symbolising friendship,” designer Junichi Kawanishi said.

The gold, silver and bronze awards each have a rough, almost meringue-like surface on the outer ring, encircling a smooth, shining centre.

The innovation should interest not only the sports industry but also better and cleaner environment crusaders who are worried by the degradation of the environment through dumping of all manner of wastes that can neither decompose nor add value to the environment.