5 August 2026
Non-ferrous metal residues: a deposit that is stockpiled rather than worked
Among the six urban mines we have mapped in Algeria, this one is unusual: the material is already gathered, already concentrated, and waiting on site.
Circular economy · Urban mining · Algeria
The city is a mine. We extract its resources.
Urban Mine DZ applies the urban mining concept in Algeria: turning household and industrial waste into raw materials instead of burying it. Collection, treatment, recovery, remediation and technology transfer, from Rouissat in the wilaya of Ouargla and from our test site in Laghouat.
- The Urban Mine® concept, an internationally registered trademark
- Founded by Dr Farouk Tedjar
- Algerian limited liability company, operating since 2022
- Project undergoing Startup certification
- Household and industrial waste
- Strategic metals
- Spent catalysts
- Asbestos
- Remediation
- Technology transfer
The concept
Waste is not an end. It is a deposit.
First published in 2004 by Dr Farouk Tedjar, the urban mining concept has since been registered as an international trademark. It is now part of the recycling and sustainability landscape.
One of the pillars of the circular economy is recycling: it turns waste into valuable materials that substitute for natural resources. The growing scarcity of strategic metals and the climate stakes make that substitution increasingly decisive.
The concept came out of an observation made during a study carried out for the European Commission under the 5th Framework Programme (1999-2002): the lithium content of spent batteries exceeds the concentration found in ore extracted from natural mines. In other words, the richest deposit is no longer always beneath our feet — it is in what we throw away.
Among the resources critical to a country, metals rank third, just after water and energy. Those who exploit their urban mine gain access to resources their subsoil does not hold: Belgium is a significant exporter of cobalt and palladium without owning a single mine on its territory.
Source: F. Tedjar, Modern Concept in Materials, May 2020.
- 2004First publication of the urban mining concept
- 3rdRank of metals among critical resources, after water and energy
- 7Countries where the original recycling technology was commercialised
Latest news
News
Project progress, trials under way and milestones reached, as they happen.
18 June 2026
Asbestos treatment: the first Laghouat trials are encouraging
At our Laghouat site, the high-frequency vitrification process has been run on test batches. The first results confirm what the research led us to expect.
Scientific publications
Scientific publications
The research behind our processes. Some documents can be downloaded after leaving an e-mail address.
Our approach
Three steps, no surprises.
Whether it is a regular collection or the study of an industrial deposit, the method stays the same: understand, qualify, organise.
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01
Understand
You describe your site, the nature of the materials involved, the estimated volumes and your constraints. A call or a WhatsApp message is enough to get started.
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02
Qualify
We check what we can take on and under what conditions. For a deposit, this step may include characterising the material and running trials.
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03
Organise
Scope, schedule, resources committed and terms of intervention are settled together before work begins.
Frequently asked questions
What we are asked most often.
A question that is not covered here? The simplest thing is still to call us.
+213 770 07 87 87What is an urban mine, in practical terms?
It is a stock of waste concentrated enough in useful material to be worked like an ore. A batch of spent catalysts, a stock of circuit boards or steelworks dust contain metals at grades that sometimes exceed those of natural mines.
What if my deposit does not fit your processes?
We will tell you so. Our technical base covers metals, incineration residues, electronics and asbestos; not everything reduces to those. Where that is the case, we would rather point you elsewhere than lead you into a dead end.
What types of waste do you take on for collection?
Household and similar waste, inert waste, as well as special and hazardous special waste, which fall under regulated activities. Describe the material to us: we will confirm whether it is within our scope.
Where do you operate?
Our head office is in Rouissat, in the wilaya of Ouargla, and our test site is in Laghouat. For field work, tell us where your site is. For a recovery project, distance is a different matter: let’s talk it through.
Is asbestos treatment available right now?
The process is patented and trials have been started at our Laghouat site, with encouraging results. Moving to a national capacity is the stage under way: contact us to find out where it stands at the time of your project.
How do I get a quote?
By telephone on +213 770 07 87 87, or through the form on this page, which prepares a WhatsApp message for you to read over before sending. The more precise the description — nature of the material, volumes, location — the faster our answer.