The main uses for silver are in jewelry and silverware, photographic films and papers, and electrical contacts and connectors. Silver is also used in mirrors, medical instruments, dental alloys, brazing alloys, silver-bearing batteries, and bearings. The largest silver-producing country is Mexico, followed by the United States, Peru, and Canada. On a global scale, approximately 58 countries mine silver annually. The steady growth in silver bearing products worldwide has also led to increases in the amount of silver recovered from scrap recycling.
Most scrap comes from photographic materials, jewelry, and silverware.