SerpApi.Org
Millions of discarded laptops, server drives, and electric motors sitting in waste streams hold the key to North America’s critical mineral independence.
Now, two firms want to dig them up. Electronics recycling giant ERI and rare earth specialist Cyclic Materials announced a strategic partnership to construct one of the largest domestic rare earth recovery networks in North America.
The initiative targets a major gap in the market: vast quantities of high-value rare earths sit inside tossed electronics while manufacturers scramble for domestic supply. Opening a new mine takes over a decade. Recycling takes a fraction of that time.
It could help resolve supply chain limitations, boost national security, and support growth across the AI, defense, and automotive sectors.
“Together we are creating a new supply of rare earths by unlocking materials already in circulation and recirculating them into the supply chain,” said Ahmad Ghahreman, CEO and Founder of Cyclic Materials.
Mining the junk drawer
Bringing a new rare earth mine online takes 10 to 15 years of permitting and construction, whereas recycling e-waste unlocks domestic materials in months.
The United States is the world’s second-largest producer of electronic waste behind China, generating roughly 7 million tons annually.
However, a major infrastructure gap remains. As only some portion of these discarded electronics are formally collected and recycled, leaving the vast majority to end up in landfills or incinerators
The operation pairs brute volume with precise extraction. ERI processes over 1 million pounds of electronic waste every single day. Using proprietary, AI-driven sorting systems across its eight U.S. facilities, ERI isolates magnet-heavy scrap at high purity levels.
That sorted feedstock is shipped to Cyclic Materials’ facility in Mesa, Arizona. Capable of processing 25,000 tonnes of end-of-life components annually, the hub recovers heavy rare earths alongside valuable industrial metals like copper and aluminum.
“The partnership is intended to form one of the largest rare earth recovery ecosystems in the U.S. by combining ERI’s nationwide collection network with Cyclic Materials’ commercial rare earth recovery and refining technologies to process high-volume magnet-containing products,” the press statement noted.
“Initial commercialization includes multiple product categories that will create one of the largest commercial rare earth recycling feedstock portfolios in North America,” it added.
Supply chain security
China controls the vast majority of the world’s rare earth refining capacity. That concentration creates acute supply risks for defense contractors, electric vehicle automakers, and data centers building artificial intelligence hardware.
Moreover, recent Chinese export licensing controls on key heavy rare earths (such as dysprosium, terbium, and yttrium) have escalated supply-chain anxiety across various sectors.
Urban mining sidesteps geopolitical tension. In harvesting materials already inside U.S. borders, the partnership creates a closed-loop ecosystem that strengthens national security, derisks trade tensions, and powers the next wave of advanced manufacturing.
“It’s an honor to partner with Cyclic so that we can bring new levels of efficiency to closing the loop on critical minerals,” said ERI’s Chairman and CEO John Shegerian.
“Cyclic’s innovative technology and state-of-the-art facility provide commercial capabilities that make the circularity of heavy rare earth elements more accessible than ever before,” Shegerian added in the press statement.
Both companies will jointly pursue commercial opportunities, government bids, and RFPs to expand circular critical material infrastructure.
