Copper is one of the planet’s most worthy metals, powering everything from smartphones to solar panels. Yet, tons of it ends up in landfills each year. Recycling offers a cleaner solution. By recovering copper from waste, you can conserve natural resources, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).

Why Copper?

Copper powers many things. It carries electricity throughout homes and businesses, moves data within electronic devices and sits at the center of clean-energy buildouts. It’s also a sustainability powerhouse, as you can recycle it repeatedly without losing its performance. This means you can take old wiring, pipes and electronics and do the same job as newly mined metal.

However, copper demand is rising. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects about a 50% rise in copper demand by 2040 in its net-zero pathway. This increased need is exacerbating the environmental toll of mining, increasing energy and emissions.

As the pressure on copper supply grows, there is a real risk of shortfalls and price spikes, which creates problems for clean energy and grid upgrades. Closing the gap means treating today’s “waste” as tomorrow’s supply, so it flows back into wiring and infrastructure without the full environmental cost of mining.

The Problem With Copper Waste

Although copper is highly reusable, a surprising amount goes to waste. This metal is in many of the electronics you use, yet the hardware becomes so easily outdated these devices often go into the trash. Globally, e-waste hit 62 million tons in 2022 and is rising by 2.6 million tons yearly. Yet, only 22.3% was formally collected and recycled, so most of those materials — including copper — weren’t recovered. 

Even where recycling systems exist, the world is not capturing enough. A recent analysis in npj Materials Sustainability estimates only about one-third of post-consumer copper was recycled in the U.S. in 2023. That’s a huge missed opportunity given that copper can be recycled indefinitely without losing performance.

When the UK’s BT Group started replacing its legacy copper network with fiber, it struck a first-of-its-kind deal to recycle the surplus. In the fiscal year leading up to March 31, 2024, BT recovered 3,300 tons of copper cable and expects up to 200,000 tons could be retrieved through the 2030s. If so, it will turn stranded infrastructure into a supply, while avoiding fresh mining.

Recycling as much copper waste as possible is critical because for every kilogram of copper that fails to be recovered, countries are likely to mine another. This leads to higher energy costs and greater environmental impact as demand rises for grid upgrades and cleaner energy tech.

How Copper Recycling Works

Copper recycling processes involve the following steps:

• Collect and sort: Scrap comes from old wiring, pipes, motors and electronics. It’s sorted by “grade,” so the cleanest material can go straight to melting.
• Process: Once the copper is cleaned of contaminants, it melts in hot furnaces, which removes the rest of its impurities.
• Recast: The metal is then cast into rods, wires, pipes and sheets, where it will re-enter the supply chain.

To ensure this process is efficient, recyclers track a recovery rate, which is the share of usable copper that comes out compared with the scrap that went in. It’s a quick health check on sorting quality and processing losses, and it helps plants compare batches and suppliers.

From a hypothetical standpoint, say you add 10,000 pounds of copper scrap to the furnace. If 5% of the load is dirt or solder and another 5% of the copper is lost during melting, the recovered copper is approximately 90% of the original load. A higher recovery means less metal wasted, lower costs and more copper back in circulation — precisely what you want in a world hungry for electrification.

Benefits of Recycling Copper

Recycling copper delivers outsized environmental wins. Making copper from scrap can use up to 85% less energy than producing it from mined ore, which slashes emissions and avoids the disruption of nature. It also strengthens supply for clean-energy buildouts, keeping high-quality metal in circulation for grid upgrades, electric vehicles and electronics, without waiting years for new mines to come online.

The world already generates over 2 billion metric tons of municipal solid waste each year, and the latest outlook projects this will total nearly 4 billion tons by 2050. Diverting copper from the trash stream eases pressure on landfills, while turning waste into a reliable source of raw material. 

How You Can Play Your Part

Small choices add up. The more copper you keep in circulation, the less there is a need to mine, creating a cleaner future. Try a few of these tips:

• Recycle your phones, tablets, chargers and other electronics containing recoverable copper. Look for a certified e-waste drop-off or community collection day.
• Plan for recycling during renovations. Ask your contractor or electrician to separate copper pipes and wiring and take them to a scrap yard. If you’re DIY-ing, keep a labeled bucket for copper offcuts.
• Buy recycled when you can. When replacing wiring or plumbing, ask suppliers about recycled-content copper. Demand helps the market grow.
• Use retailer take-back programs. Many electronics stores accept cords, cables and small devices. Some cell data services also offer mobile device trade-ins, regardless of their age.
• If you manage a workplace, set up a small “metals only” bin near maintenance areas and add e-waste pickup to your facility’s regular recycling schedule.

Keeping the Future Bright With Copper Recycling

Copper is one of the few materials you can loop forever. When you value what’s already in your hands, a cleaner future is within reach.