The article aims to substantiate the tendency to solve the problem of the mineral and raw material base of non-ferrous metals due to the involvement of technogenic origin in substandard metal-containing raw materials. Critical analysis and systematization of new information on the current state of the mineral and raw materials base of non-ferrous metals and the environmental problems of mining associated with it. New data on the recovery and loss of metals in the process of ore dressing are presented. It is shown that the total value of metals in waste is comparable to the value of potential mineral resources in the bowels. The problems of the use of mining waste should be solved in a single package with environmental problems by creating a single technological cycle for the extraction and processing of industrial minerals of industrial waste, the use of which can make the development of industrial deposits economically viable. The practical significance of the work lies in the possibility of using best practices for non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises that are searching for ways to survive in the conditions of the establishment of market relations.