The Advantages of Copper Recycling
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JUL 28, 2022

The Advantages of Copper Recycling

The copper industry is one of the world's most valuable metal recycling industries. Thankfully, scrap metal recycling is also a significant industry. Do you know the benefits of recycling copper? Are you aware of what kind of copper you should and shouldn't recycle? RCM Recycling specializes in scrap metal recycling, and we will shed some light on copper recycling.

Copper

Copper is a metal that has been used for thousands of years. It's the third most abundant element in Earth's crust and is found in many everyday objects you use daily. Copper is also used in many other applications, including plumbing, electrical wiring, and heating systems.

Copper recycling helps to reduce the need for mining new copper ore deposits and creates less pollution during the manufacturing process. Copper recycling also reduces the amount of copper in landfills or oceans as waste, keeping our ecosystems clean and healthy for future generations.

If you're wondering what types of copper can be recycled, the answer is simple: any copper! Whether an old water heater or an office building's wiring system, your local scrap metal company will gladly take these items off your hands so they can be reused for new projects instead of being thrown away with the trash. The best part about recycling copper is that you don't have to worry about whether or not your scrap metal company will accept it - they will!

Why Should You Recycle Copper?

Copper is an environmentally friendly metal that can be recycled repeatedly without losing its properties. Recycling them is an excellent option if you're looking for an environmentally conscious way to eliminate your old copper items. When you recycle copper, you don't just help the environment — you also help reduce pollution and save energy because fewer raw materials are needed for manufacturing new copper products.

Copper is a precious metal; recycling is essential to protect our environment and save money. Here are some of the advantages of recycling copper:

  • Protecting the Environment – Every year, we throw away millions of tons of valuable metals into landfills and dump sites. This causes significant pollution problems and hurts our environment, and it also costs us money because we have to clean up these sites after they are complete. Recycling copper prevents this pollution problem and saves money by reusing the valuable metal instead of throwing it away.
  • Saving Money – When you send your scrap copper through RCM Recycling, we will pay you for it! We pay more than anyone else because we have more customers, which means more business for everyone involved in the process!

How Is Copper Recycled

Copper recycling requires careful sorting to ensure all types are separated from one another before they go through the smelting process. If not done correctly, different types of copper will mix during smelting and contaminate each other's purity levels. This means that all materials must be sorted into separate bins before being sent off for recycling.

Copper can be recycled through the following methods by a scrap metal company:

  • Electrochemical process – This process uses an electrical current to separate copper from other metals in an electrolytic bath. The bath is made with sulfuric acid and salt water and contains other metals like iron and aluminum that must also be removed. The process also creates hydrogen gas as an unwanted byproduct, and the gas can be used for energy production or sold separately for profit.
  • Direct smelting – This method involves melting scrap copper directly without separating it from other materials. This process produces slag, which contains small amounts of impurities from other metals in the processed scrap copper. Slag must then be refined before it's considered commercially pure copper metal. Slag can also be used as a building material or a component in cement production when treated with lime or limestone slurry (a mixture of limestone dust and water).

Why Should You NOT Throw Copper Away?

Copper waste is one of the largest sources of pollution in landfills because it contains heavy metals. When these materials are buried underground, they leach into the groundwater supply and pollute our water supply with harmful chemicals like lead, cadmium, and arsenic. These chemicals are bad for people's health and the environment, so we should do everything we can to avoid putting them into the ground first!

Do you have any copper you can recycle? If so, RCM Recycling is here to help.