(ふるい)

old (things)

(けいたいでんわ)

mobile phone; cell phone

(きんぞく)

metal

(とりだす)

to take out; to extract

(としこうざん)

urban mine (metals held in discarded electronics)

(つかう)

to use

(ぱそこん)

personal computer

(きん)

gold

(どう)

bronze, copper

(など)

et cetera, and so on

(きちょう)

precious, valuable

(ふくむ)

to contain / to hold (within)

(せいひん)

product

(ふたたび)

again, once more

(りよう)

use; utilization

(よぶ)

to call

(ちゅうもく)

attention, notice

(あつめる)

to collect

(かんきょうしょう)

Ministry of the Environment

(かてい)

household; home; family

(ねむる)

to sleep, to hibernate

(こがたかでん)

small home appliance

(ねんかん)

period of ~ years

(およそ)

approximately, roughly

(すうじゅうまん)

several hundred thousand

(とん)

ton (unit)

(のぼる)

to amount to, to reach (a figure)

(しかし)

however, but

(じっさい)

actually; practically; in reality

(かいしゅう)

collection, recovery

(わりあい)

ratio, rate, percentage

(たかい)

expensive; high

(おおい)

many

(ひと)

person / people

(すてる)

to throw away; to discard

(かた)

person (polite)

(わかる)

to understand, be clear

(かんじる)

to feel, to sense

(じちたい)

local government / municipality

(えき)

station

(やくしょ)

government office

(ぼっくす)

box

(せっち)

installation, setting up

(むりょう)

free of charge

(うけつける)

to accept, to receive (applications, items)

(うごき)

movement; trend

(ひろげる)

to expand; to spread; to broaden

(たんとうしゃ)

person in charge

(こじんじょうほう)

personal information

(でーた)

data

(けす)

to extinguish, to turn off

(しょり)

processing; treatment

(あんしん)

relief / peace of mind

(だす)

to serve, put out

(せつめい)

explanation

to become no longer / to disappear

Indicates a change where something ceases to exist or can no longer be done. Here it describes that prayer gatherings can no longer be held in Hong Kong.

is doing, has been doing (ongoing state/action)

Expresses a continuing action or resulting state. Formed with て-form + いる. Can describe an action in progress or a state resulting from a past change.

according to ...

Cites a source of information. The noun before によると is the source. Often followed by a reported statement.

passive form of する-verbs

The passive of a する verb, used here to describe what happens to the appliances rather than who does it. 回収される割合 means the proportion that gets collected.

after doing ...

Expresses a sequence where one action is completed before the next begins. Formed with て-form + から. Emphasizes completion of the first action.

because ~ / since ~

Causal connector. Because JA is buying at higher prices, store prices will also rise.

want (someone) to do ...

Expresses a wish for someone else to do something. Formed with て-form + ほしい. The person you want to act is marked with に.

古い携帯電話から金属を取り出す「都市鉱山」

'Urban mining': extracting metals from old mobile phones

使わなくなった携帯電話やパソコンには、金や銅などの貴重な金属が含まれている。

Mobile phones and computers that are no longer used contain valuable metals such as gold and copper.

こうした製品から金属を取り出して再び利用することは「都市鉱山」と呼ばれ、注目を集めている。

Taking metals out of such products and using them again is called 'urban mining,' and it is drawing attention.

環境省によると、家庭に眠っている小型家電は年間およそ数十万トンに上る。

According to the Ministry of the Environment, small home appliances lying unused in households amount to roughly several hundred thousand tons a year.

しかし、実際に回収される割合は高くない。

However, the proportion that is actually collected is not high.

多くの人が「捨て方が分からない」と感じているためだ。

This is because many people feel that they do not know how to dispose of them.

自治体は駅や役所に回収ボックスを設置し、無料で受け付ける動きを広げている。

Local governments are installing collection boxes at stations and government offices, expanding efforts to accept the items free of charge.

担当者は「個人情報はデータを消してから処理するので、安心して出してほしい」と説明している。

A person in charge explains, 'We erase the data before processing them, so we would like people to hand them in with peace of mind.'