Useful metals recovery from electronic scraps of headphones – A sustainable approach

•In India the usage of electronic gadgets such as headphones and mobiles are in increasing trend but its disposal is of tremendous problem.•In this study recovery of copper and iron oxide from the headphones along with its cost benefit is described.•Waste to wealth is the major focus of our work.•The cradle-to-cradle process of sustainable waste management was adopted in this study using headphone waste by recovery of copper carbonate and iron ore.•The cost analysis helps to validate that it also supports circular economy which is the hardcore of SDG. The utilization of electronic devices has been consistently increasing each year. In the fiscal year 2020–2021, India handled more than 340,000 tonnes of electronic waste, a significant surge from the 69,414 tonnes recorded in 2017–2018. Over the past four years, there has been a remarkable fourfold increase in the collection and processing of e-waste. This project focuses on e-waste generated from headphones, considering their widespread usage globally. Surprisingly, despite their ubiquity, only 15 % of headphones are recycled, with more than 85 % being discarded as waste. To address this issue, hydrometallurgy treatment is employed to extract valuable metals such as copper and iron. Following this treatment, this research successfully obtained copper carbonate and iron oxide as essential elements. The leached solution undergoes analysis using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). Further characterization through X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) of batteries and magnets aids in identifying the crystalline materials. Additionally, a cost-benefit analysis was carried out, revealing a 57 % and a 39 % profit in copper carbonate and iron oxide extraction respectively and this validates the confirmation of circular economy. Finally, a questionnaire survey was conducted with approximately 192 students, revealing that most headset replacements occur roughly once a year, typically within a budget of around Rs. 500–1000. This strongly indicates a high rate of waste disposal.