Abstract: Disclosed is a method of recovering metal from waste plating stream and using the recovered metal comprising: providing a waste metal plating stream containing metal ions in an aqueous solution; passing the waste metal plating stream containing the metal ions into an electrochemical cell assembly having an inlet for the waste metal plating stream, a plurality of alternating anodes and cathodes porous to the waste metal solution and an exit from the cell; passing the waste metal plating stream through pores of the cathode; passing an electrical current through the anodes and cathodes, thereby depositing a portion of the metal ions onto the cathodes and reducing the amount of the metal ion in the solution from that in the introduced waste metal plating stream; recovering the deposited metal from the cathode; and using the recovered deposited metal as a source of soluble metallic anode to be deposited on to a substrate in a subsequent metal plating process.