Understanding The Copper Scrap Pipeline
Copper scrap recycling is both a major business and a major environmental benefit. Over half of all the copper in use in the world is currently recycled, and the scrapping and recycling of in-use copper save countless tons of pollutions that extracting fresh material would otherwise emit. Of course, copper recycling is also a hugely profitable industry for companies that operate through the scrapping pipeline. No matter where you or your company fall in the life cycle of copper, it can be instructive to learn about the pipeline that this essential metal travels through to go from use to recycling to re-use.
Copper Scrappers: More Diverse Than You Might Expect
The beginning of the scrap metal recycling chain starts with the individuals or companies that collect this metal and turn it into their local scrapyard. Many people picture copper scrappers as individuals who gather old metal as either a hobby or as a way of making a living, but this is only one small aspect of scrapping as a whole. In fact, a large amount of scrap originates with contractors or heavy industry. Construction and plumbing contractors often accumulate copper piping, wire, or roofing materials during demolition. Some of this material is directly reusable, but often scrapping is the more cost-effective option.
Heavy industry also generates a surprisingly large amount of scrap. Parts are cut or stamped from large sheets of copper, leaving "webbed" waste copper that no longer has any useful purpose. Many manufacturers have on-going contracts with local scrapyards to directly deliver enormous amounts of waste regularly.
Recyclers: More Than Just Middlemen
Once old copper arrives at a scrapyard or recycler, it must be sorted and processed into various grades. Even if a delivery consists entirely of copper, that copper cannot always be sent off for immediate processing. In most cases, the copper will be chopped up, and a variety of methods will be used to separate extraneous materials such as wiring insulation. Copper cannot ultimately be melted down until it has undergone this processing, making the recyclers that sit in the middle of the scrap pipeline some of the most important members of the scrapping and recycling pipeline.
The Final Step: Melting
Once old copper has been sorted, and potential sources of contamination have been removed, it will be melted down for reuse. Melting is not the final stop for the recycled copper, but it is the last step of the recycling process. Once the chopped blocks have been melted, they can be processed by a mill into copper wire or additional furnaces for refining and casting. This fresh copper material then makes its way into the world, where it will find use in industry or construction until, eventually, it re-enters the recycling pipeline.
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