Apple Collected $40 Million Worth of Gold From Recycled iPhones Last Year

The company was able to cull 2,204 pounds of gold from Apple devices last year. Gold is often used in consumer electronics because it resists corrosion and oxidation and is a good conductor of electricity.

Along with its gold haul, Apple was able to recover around 23 million pounds of steel, 13 million pounds of plastics, 12 million pounds of glass, 4.5 million pounds of aluminum and 3 million pounds of copper.

Apple’s recycling programs takes in old or broken technology from collection events and take-back initiatives like its Apple Renew program, launched last month. The company took in 90 million pounds of e-waste last year, 61 million of which were reusable materials.

According to its report, Apple has saved 597 million pounds of waste from going to landfills since 1994.

Last month, Apple announced it was using a series of new robots called Liam, capable of disassembling 1.2 million iPhones a year, as part of its recycling program.