How to Recycle Copper From Electrical Wire
After aluminum and iron, copper is the third-leading metal produced in the country. According to the Action Recycling Center's website, the metal's usage is rapidly increasing because more and more products are using copper, including automobiles and airplanes. Copper is also found in household items such as electrical wiring. When these cords are no longer working (such as string lights that have burnt out), the copper can be harvested from the cord and sold to a recycling plant -- not only saving the metal from a landfill, but also putting a few dollars in your pocket.
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Instructions
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Instructions
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Strip the wire you are using to harvest the copper. This can be done by placing one end of the wire in a vice. Use a razor or knife to strip away the outer plastic cover, as if you were peeling a carrot. This will reveal the copper inside. Some products, such as the Power Wire Stripper, can do the entire job. According to the product website, users feed the wire through the machine, which strips the wire and cuts the copper into pieces.
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Remove all the plastic covering from the copper wire. It's okay to cut the copper into smaller sections if you need to. Store the metal strips in a bucket or bag.
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Take the stripped copper to a metal recycling center. Most recycling centers require that you present a photo ID when presenting the metal to sell. They will weigh your copper and pay you for the metal, which will later be recycled. The price of copper varies on the market, but as of January 2011, prices were around $4 per pound (see Resources).
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Tips & Warnings
While recycling copper from wire can bring in some money for you, it can also help others working toward a good cause. Lights for Life, based in Loveland, Colorado, collects broken holiday light strings and recycles the copper inside. The money used from this harvested metal is donated to children battling cancer and their families.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit copper cable image by Witold Krasowski from Fotolia.com
