How to Recycle Silver

Silver can be found in photographic waste, electrical and electronic scrap, jewelry and coinage. Since silver is a natural resource and is used for many different things, it's important to recycle it. As the population grows, the demand for silver will naturally increase. There are different ways to ensure that silver gets reused and recycled. Read on to learn about how to recycle silver.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Sell your old silver jewelry to a jewelry store, or donate it to a humanitarian organization. This enables the silver to be reused, or the jewelry store can melt it down to create new jewelry.

2. Take your old photographs to a photography lab so that they can reclaim the silver from the pictures. A common way to reclaim the silver is called electrolysis, which uses a solution and an electrical current.

3. Use your computer's manufacturer's recycling program to recycle the silver in your electronic devices. Even cell phone companies recycle old cell phones. This enables the silver to become a part of new computers and cell phones.

Tips & Warnings

• Go through your jewelry and electronic devices once a year to see what can be recycled.
• Set potential items that contain silver aside so you can remember to recycle them and not throw them away.
• Ask the recycler questions to ensure that they are legitimate and are not going to export them or use prison labor.