Recycling Copper: Benefits to You and the Environment

Copper is a common element with a lot of amazing properties. You can find it in just about anywhere and is one of the few naturally occurring metals that you can use directly upon mining. One of its earliest uses was as a material for making tools, creating an alternative to stone and informally ushering in the era of metallurgy. Today, many industries use copper for many reasons, primarily the following:

Conductivity

Next to silver, copper is an excellent thermal and electrical conductor, but it is less expensive to use, making it the practical choice of manufacturers in the electrical and electronics industries.

 Malleability

Apart from electrical conductivity, copper is known for being malleable and versatile. It can be processed and shaped easily into different objects. As stated, many of the earliest tools were made from copper, including copper pots and cookware, which are used in much the same way today.

Durability

The discovery of the metal led to the Bronze Age wherein copper was combined with tin and other metals to form an alloy that’s stronger, easy to melt, and more resistant to corrosion than pure copper. With copper’s natural resistance to corrosion, it is recyclable multiple times. It does not deteriorate during the recycling process, making it precious for scrap collectors.

Although copper is an abundant metal, it is in high demand. Continuous mining and discarding could rapidly deplete the resource. Recycling scrap copper has tremendous benefits to people and the environment.

Why you should recycle copper

Save resources – The most apparent purpose of recycling metal, of course, is to prevent them from diminishing rapidly. After all, such natural resources are finite. Although less than 20% of copper has been mined, according to Schoolscience.co.uk, recycling can extend the earth’s supply of the metal.

Save energy – The energy used to recycle copper is only 15% of the energy consumption for mining copper ores. For the same time and effort, recycling helps save fossil fuels without raising carbon footprint.

Save the environment – Recycling does not release gases that damage the earth’s atmosphere, gases that are present when metals are refined.

Save land – Disposing of metals and other used items fills up landfills fast. It creates the need to open more landfills to accommodate more waste materials. Recycling prevents this.

Sources of Scrap Copper

Many scrap collectors look for copper in construction sites, as well as shooting ranges and places under renovation. But though these places are the obvious sources of copper, they make up only 30 percent of the total recyclable scrap metals, based on an article published in Thebalancesmb.com.  It means that the scrap copper found in these places are not that many. It is also important to pay attention to other, less obvious sources. Ranches and farms, for one, are surprisingly rich in scrap copper, mostly from used machinery and old vehicles.

To this day, copper is still one of the world’s most valuable resources. It is present in just about everything, from major currencies to towering skyscrapers to kitchen implements and jewellery. Dealing with this resource, therefore, can be a lucrative source of income, when done right.

If you are planning to enter the scrap metal recycling industry, LKM Recycling is a waste management company that can help you recycle scrap copper and other non-ferrous metals.

Give us a call today at 01795 439393 to learn what we can do for your business.