The mission of the Energy Department is to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions
The Electronics Scrap Recycling Advancement Prize, launched by the U.S. Department of Energy, aims to stimulate the significant increase in the production and use of critical materials recovered from electronic scrap, also known as e-scrap. This initiative seeks to address the rapidly growing waste stream of e-scrap, which includes a wide range of electronic items like mobile phones, home appliances, and medical equipment, by making the recycling process more efficient and effective. The competition is structured into three phases: Incubate, Prototype, and Demonstrate, with the overarching goal of fostering innovations that enhance the recovery of critical materials along the recycling value chain from end-of-life products to reintroduction. This includes improving economic competitiveness and environmental impacts of e-scrap recycling technologies and processes.