Costa Rica's 'urban mine' for planet-friendlier lithium
Costa Rica, a country where open pit mining is banned, has become a leader in the extraction of heavy metals such as lithium - not from the Earth, but old batteries. The Fortech recycling factory which opened nearly three decades ago in Cartago about 27 kilometers (17 miles) from the capital San Jose, is referred to by its staff as an "urban mine." For the last six years, it has focused