To match feature JAPAN-METALS/RECYCLING
Printed circuit boards, collected from discarded electronic items, are piled up at Dowa Holdings Co's Eco-System Recycling Co, a recycling plant, in Honjo, north of Tokyo March 28, 2008. Thinking of throwing out your old cell phone? Think again. Maybe you should mine it first for gold, silver, copper and a host of other metals embedded in the electronics -- many of which are enjoying near-record prices. It's called "urban mining", scavenging through the scrap metal in old electronic products in search of such gems as iridium and gold, and it is a growth industry around the world as metal prices skyrocket. Picture taken March 28, 2008. To match feature JAPAN-METALS/RECYCLING. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao (JAPAN)