Tokyo 2020 medals to be made from "recycled" mobile phones

Organizers of Tokyo 2020 want their Games to be remembered for being nature-friendly, and keeping that in mind, the medals are going to made from recycled mobile phones. The move is not only aimed at promoting sustainability, but also at saving costs.

Olympic and Paralympic Games have traditionally always been about gold, silver and bronze, but with the new development, the Japanese public have been asked to donate unwanted mobile phones and other electronic items to help make 5,000 medals.

According to CNN, the organizers are expecting around eight tonnes of metal from collection boxes which will be placed in local offices and telecoms stores around the country from April.

Recycled materials have been used in previous Games to make Olympic medals, with 30% of the silver and bronze medals at last summer's Olympics in Rio made from recycled materials.