Properly disposing of electrical cables is essential for reasons ranging from environmental protection to the need to value certain recyclable materials that are worth separating and recovering.
To produce electrical cables, materials are used that are potentially polluting, but also valuable if properly separated and recycled: think of rubber, polyvinyl chloride, and other plastics normally used for the outer part of the cable, but especially copper, aluminum, and lead or tin alloys that make up the internal conductors.
Properly recovering metals – particularly copper – contained in electrical cables not only helps reduce environmental pollution but also allows valuing a precious resource: the global demand for copper is constantly growing, but the amount of copper mined and placed on the market (also known as “primary copper”) is increasing more slowly than demand. This trend has led, especially in recent years, to a significant increase in the price of this metal, making it even more economically advantageous to efficiently recover already used copper and start it in recycling processes for the production of secondary copper. Using recycled copper is a necessity, especially in the European context: copper mining in our continent is steadily declining, and it is estimated that by 2040 it will be halved unless new mines are identified and exploited. Given this situation, we cannot afford to waste such a precious material by simply discarding objects that contain it at landfills.
It is important to emphasize that, contrary to what one might think, the amount of electrical cables disposed of daily is really significant: almost every electrical and electronic device we use in our daily lives has power cables, so the disposal of each WEEE brings with it the need to properly recover and treat cables containing precious metals and copper.
Here's how a disposal plant works that can effectively and correctly handle this type of waste.
Copper Cable Treatment
Electrical cables, like all electrical and electronic equipment, should not be thrown into regular waste collection bins but must be separately disposed of at municipal recycling centers or delivered to all stores selling electronic devices, which are required to take back and dispose of WEEE returned by customers (if the WEEE is small, this service must always be guaranteed, even if the customer does not make a purchase, while for bulky items the obligation to collect is tied to the purchase of a new appliance).
All electrical cables collected through these channels are then sent for recycling at specialized centers. The recycling process involves an initial phase of cable grinding and dry separation of the outer insulating part from the metal contained inside. Once the plastic is separated from the metal, the materials take different paths and are recycled separately: the plastic is sent to dedicated treatment plants, while the metal is subjected to a further shredding process that reduces its size, the first step for subsequent selection and separation of copper, iron, aluminum, and so on.
It is important to note that the copper obtained through this recycling process retains the physical characteristics of primary copper, as this metal is one of the few materials that can be recycled repeatedly and at 100%, without compromising its quality.
CAMEC Solutions for Electrical Cable Treatment
CAMEC develops plants for the disposal of electrical cables and copper recovery that can effectively handle this type of waste, even shredding armored and large diameter cables. These disposal plants, designed to efficiently process large quantities of electrical cable, are always custom-designed and can include different machines depending on the specific needs of the Client, such as:
Machines of this type allow grinding different types of cables and obtaining, with very low energy investment, separated material of a high degree of purity, ready to be sold and reused.
Want to know more about CAMEC solutions for electrical cable treatment and copper recovery?