Although you may not be aware of the fact that all those gadgets lying around at home are packed with precious metals like gold, silver and platinum Sony sure is, which is why it aims to recycle as much as possible.
From next month, the Tokyo firm will run a trial together with the city of Kitakyushu in the far west of Japan aimed at gathering and recycling such rare metals.
Almost the kitchen sink
The scheme will see 60 collection points set up throughout the city for collection of digital cameras, PMPs, handheld game machines, electronic dictionaries and voice recorders.
The list doesn't feature mobile phones, as those are already recycled under separate programmes led by network operators.
Resell value
Sony is funding 90 per cent of the operation, with Kitakyushu providing the remainder to support the field test until the end of March next year.
The reclaimed metals will be extracted by a third-party specialist and then sold back to Sony for reuse in its products. The company hopes to benefit from cheaper prices than the open market currently allows for.
Whether that's likely to encourage punters to make the trip to a recycling box is unclear.
One elderly-aged man we spotted recycling his mobile phone today reacted with surprise when we told him of the broader Sony scheme:
"I'm not sure if I'd bring my old stuff here just to help Sony. If it was to stop pollution or something, that might be different," he explained.
