**8. Summary: current status and perspectives**

Due to the depletion of natural resources, increased environmental pollution, and dependence on suppliers from China, the recovery of valuable metals from WEEE is currently of great importance. Broadly understood economic development and new technologies in the electrical and electronic market are beneficial for people, but they also harm the surrounding environment and, consequently, all of us. Therefore, the intensively developing industry of recovery of metals from secondary sources has many positive aspects such as less hazardous waste, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and CO2 , or a reduction in the use of natural resources and thus reducing the destruction of the natural environment.

Despite the small amount of recycling of REE, the worldwide production of these metals currently exists at about 130,000 metric tonnes of REO equivalent content per year, with the 2014 REE market worth about US\$2051 million [64]. A large amount of REE is used in the production of catalysts, glass, lighting, and in the metallurgy industry, 59% in 2011, and the remaining 41% in new increasing markets such as magnets, batteries, and ceramics [64].

Development of modern technologies both in the field of electronics and green motorization is heavily dependent on rare earth elements. Also in Poland, the constantly growing consumption of REE is observed. Poland does not actually have its own REE natural deposits. The demand for these metals is mainly covered by import from China, West Europe, and USA. Alternative sources can be rich hard coal resources and a large share of fossil fuels in energy production. No wider studies on the occurrence of REE have been conducted in the country so far, for example, for the assessment of the hard coal deposits and power fly ashes as reasonable sources of lanthanides. Fragmentary data not allow to determine the full volume of REE in Polish hard coal.

A prospective direction in obtaining REE from domestic resources can be processing of WEEE. In recent years the interest of small entrepreneurs in this subject is noticeable. Many small companies have been established, dealing primarily with the collection and segregation of electric and electronic waste materials. With the help of national assets and money from EU structural funds, many innovative projects in the field of metal recycling are carried out. Innovative REE recovery projects can meet the expectations of satisfying the demand for these valuable, irreplaceable metals in today's life.
