Recycling is an important and growing trend in this country and around the world. There are a lot of things that can be recycled but one of the materials that is becoming popular is copper pipe. Sometimes it has been removed from an old building, other times from appliances, but good, clean copper pipe has some value. To the average person looking to make a few dollars, collecting the pipe can mean a decent payday at the recycler.
Where Does it Come From?
Copper has been used in pipes and electric wiring for many years. It works well in both applications and is plentiful so manufacturers have embraced it. Copper is mined from the ground and refined for use in a lot of different ways. Recyclers will often pay a decent price for copper because it can be reused and added to new copper to offset the amount of copper that needs to come out of the ground. While it does oxidize over time, copper does not rust which makes it a good choice for things that will be exposed to weather or water for long periods of time.
Raising Values
Over the last few years, the value of copper has risen with recyclers and taking pieces of pipe or copper wire in and selling it has become a good way to make some money. Demolition companies will often remove all the copper from a building and recycle it for a profit or to help offset the costs of their business. There are other materials that are also recyclable but for a while, copper prices were so high that it was the metal of choice for recycling.
Copper Grading
When copper is brought to a recycler, it is graded and the price is set based on that grade. For instance, solid copper wire that still has the insulation on it will not be as valuable as wire that is bare and clean. The same is true of pipe that still has the fittings soldered in place. The solder is a contaminant that will lower the grade and therefore lower the price.
Some scrapers will spend the time to desolder the pipe pieces or strip the wiring clean before they take it to the recycler. The added value can be worth the effort but for the average person, it might not be time they want to spend just to get a few extra cents per pound at the recycler. For a few pounds of copper the price offset just isn't important but for scrapers selling hundreds of pounds at a time, cleaning up the copper to get the best price is time well spent and could mean a significant increase in profits.
To learn more about buying or selling metals, contact companies like Dabal & Sons Inc.
Share22 January 2018
Recycling goes well beyond tossing your plastic bottles and aluminum cans in bins separate from your un-recyclable trash. Every little bit counts when it comes to recycling. Maybe it is time for you to consider going beyond traditional recycling in your home. You can take things that would otherwise end up in salvage yards or landfills and make something truly spectacular out of them. My site is filled with great ideas for using your "trash" to create things like wall art, furniture, children's entertainment items, and much, much more. You can save money on things that you would otherwise have to buy and have fun creating your own stuff out of recyclable materials.
