The Central African Copperbelt is an important location of copper and cobalt production globally. Zambia’s Copperbelt Province has a long legacy of copper, and to lesser extent, cobalt mining. Both critical energy transition elements.
To generate both local employment and reduce waste accumulations in population centers, the Zambia Government permitted small and artisanal mining of smelter slag and other mining residues. Occupying the nexus of scales and feedstocks, this case study explores the alignment of the system with circularity principles.