Have you ever thought about how much garbage you dispose of and what happens to it? Most garbage is taken to holes in the ground known as landfills and covered with earth. The landfill sites are running out and the alternate option, which is building incineration plants, is out of favor with local residents.
These days, there is much information available in dealing with paper, drinks cans, glass and plastics, but comparatively little on copper and stuffs which contain copper. It is vital that copper or copper alloys are recycled and the following gives a gestalt of how this can be done.
Copper recycling and reuse
Reduce: Copper products are sturdy and last for a long time and will time and again still function long after they have been outdated by newer models.
Reuse: Goods such as mobile phones, cookers and washing machines, which are still in working condition, can be passed on to others for reuse.
Recycling: Copper containing waste like WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), old taps, electrical cables, copper plumbing pipes and scrap from copper or copper alloy production and manufacturing is gathered, dismantled and sorted. This is followed by melting, casting and the production of new copper products.
The economic and environmental benefits of recycling copper are enumerated below and illustrate the viable nature of copper:
Environment
During mining and refining of copper, dust and waste gases such as sulphur dioxide are formed which may have an injurious effect on the environment. Although these harmful effects are minimized by copper producers with recycling there are little, if any, noxious gases emitted.
Landfill costs
Copper and copper alloy objects which are not recycled may otherwise be discarded in holes in the ground which is called landfill. These holes are hastily being filled up and, as they become rarer, landfill becomes a very costly option for waste disposal.
Energy saving
In order to extract copper from copper ore the energy required is roughly 100GJ/tonne. Recycling copper uses much fewer energy, about 10GJ/tonne, which is only 10% of the energy required for extraction. This energy saving leads to the upkeep of valuable reserves of oil, gas or coal and decreases the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere.
For your copper recycling needs, Scrap Metal Sydney can take care of it for you! We ensure that your scrap can be of great value. Call us at 02 9707 2955 or visit our website at www.ScrapMetalSydney.com for more details. We will be more than happy to be of assistance to you!