Recycling of copper is an industrial procedure that has been done over the centuries. Copper is recycled to prolong its use and improve its importance. Recycled copper has been smelted into electrical wires, heat exchangers, and even copper tubes. Recycling of copper minimizes the loss that would be incurred by just throwing them away. Upcycling, on the other hand, is the reproduction of copper wires to their initial beneficial state and even better. (Hicks, Dietmar, & Eugster, 2005).
When copper wires are disposed of, they are placed in landfills. Over the years, the disposal has led to the landfills becoming too full to accommodate more copper waste. In addition to that, burying copper has resulted in environmental harm and pollution of ground water sources. The population of individuals has gradually grown, and there isn’t enough land to dispose of copper wires. Disposal of wires is to take place away from the human settlement because it can lead to a lot of diseases.
The recycling of copper has had numerous impacts on the society. Some of the major impacts are positive impacts that it has seen through. Copper is a crucial trace element that is required for the growth of plants, but it is, however, a pollutant when it is in high quantities in the ground. Therefore, the recycling of copper minimizes this environmental danger. (Darby, Hines, & William, 2004). The jewelry that is copper embedded is also a source of revenue that comes as a result of copper Upcycling.
References
Darby, L., Hines, F., & William, A. (2004). Evaluating The Sustainability Impact of Emerging Regulations in the Electronic Industry: A Comparison of US and European Approaches, Conference paper, Electronics Goes Green. Berlin.
Hicks, C., Dietmar, R., & Eugster, M. (2005). TheRecycling and Disposal of Electrical and Electronic Waste in China- Legislative and Market Responses.
