Copper is primarily disposed of through recycling, a process known as "urban mining," where it's recovered from various sources and repurposed.
Here's a breakdown of the copper disposal process:
- Collection: Scrap copper is gathered from sources like old plumbing, roofing, and electrical wiring. These are often redundant or damaged items.
- Sorting and Preparation: The collected copper scrap is sorted to remove any impurities or non-copper materials.
- Recycling: The cleaned copper scrap is sent to specialized recycling facilities.
- Melting: At these facilities, the copper is melted down in a furnace.
- Casting: The molten copper is then cast into new products or forms, ready for reuse.
This process significantly reduces the need for newly mined copper, saving energy and resources. The high recyclability of copper makes it a sustainable material.
