Did you know that we produce up to 380 million tons of plastic per year? While polyethylene and polypropylene are two of the most commonly used plastics out there, they are closely followed by PVC (polyvinyl chloride); also known as vinyl for short.
PVC is a popular choice for insulating wires and cables due to its versatile properties. Being durable, lightweight, flexible and relatively inexpensive, PVC cables are used across multiple industries, including building and construction, healthcare, automotive, electronics manufacturing and plenty more!
Naturally, the extensive usage of PVC cables around the world would result in an abundance of wasted and leftover materials, similarly to scrap metal. This begs the question; can PVC cabling be recycled like many other ferrous and non ferrous metals out there?
The answer is yes, it can!
What’s Precious About PVC Cables?
PVC cables are essentially copper wires wrapped in a PVC coating. Of course, copper is one of the most valuable scrap metal materials out there, so you can’t expect a little bit of PVC to deem it unworthy of recycling.
What Does the Recycling Process Involve?
To get to the copper, the most valuable part of the PVC cabling, a special technique is used in order to break down the PVC layer of the cable, turning it into scrap plastic and allowing it to be easily separated from the metal component. This is a far more efficient process than separating wiring from the PVC coating manually by hand. Copper and PVC are then recycled separately, with copper being processed for use again in applications like pipes, wiring, cookware and more.
There are plenty of facilities out there that are equipped to carry out PVC cable recycling properly. However, you can’t expect every scrap metal dealer out there to offer the option. Always confirm that your local dealer accepts PVC cabling before rocking up on their doorstep with cables galore.
What Are the Benefits of PVC Cable Recycling?
Recycling PVC cabling comes with multiple benefits, similarly to scrap metal recycling. Although a lot of PVC cabling still currently ends up in landfill, choosing to recycle your PVC cables helps the environment by conserving virgin PVC material, reducing the load on landfill and saving energy that would be otherwise used to manufacture PVC cables from scratch.
Turn to Allied Metal Recyclers for PVC Recycling
Don’t know what to do with your excess PVC cable? Trade it in at Allied Metal Recyclers, one of Perth’s most trusted scrap metal dealers. Aside from dealing with both ferrous and non-ferrous metals, we also accept PVC cable, batteries and radiators and plenty of other recyclable materials. Offering the most competitive rates and the most convenient collection methods, we can take PVC cable off your hands in no time, and with a cash incentive to boost!
Contact Allied Metal Recyclers today to arrange a collection or drop-off!
