Comment by _k

You're right, some of it gets lost, but where I live there's a company that recycles all kinds of electronic equipment, circuit boards, mobile phones, .... The company's name is Umicore, they recover the gold at a cost that's cheaper than mining companies can. I can't find a source to back up that claim ( I saw a video ) but they get other precious metals out of it as well, which reduces the cost. Some website even sell Umicore gold bars. Although, I wouldn't recommend that you buy those bars, the price per gram is way too much, imo.