On 22/01/2010 15:40, Vortex4 wrote:
I have had a pile of scrap pipes and fittings accumulating behind my
garage for a few years. Maybe 15-20 kilos.

Took it to the non ferrous metal merchant yesterday and he gave me 55
quid! Staggering. I shall be having an unscheduled curry this weekend as
a direct result.

I must have the same amount of copper again if I dig around. There's
good value in those old pipes.

http://www.letsrecycle.com/prices/metals/

Be advised that if you fancy weighing in your copper cables and you
notice that copper wire is £3800/tonne whereas 45% insulated cable is
"only" £1200/tonne don't be tempted to put your cable on the bonfire to
burn the insulation off. It's illegal[1][2] to do so and the recycler
will not be happy either, as he could get into trouble for receiving and
will give you a lower price than you might expect, if anything at all.
Insulated copper wire is recycled *not* by burning, but by grinding the
cables up and floating the plastic off.


[1]Belfast Telegraph. "The remains of a fire at the site [...] suggested
it had been used to extract copper from the wire in an illegal process
that can release noxious chemicals into the environment. The DoE
confirmed that it is illegal to burn waste in this way as it is likely
to be harmful to the environment under the Clean Air Act."


[2] RSC Chemistry World. "Incineration of e-waste also produces
potentially hazardous by-products, mainly dioxins, furans and polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons, caused by burning PVC plastic and wire
insulation. Materials containing PVC are precursors to polychlorinated
dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). These are classified as
persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under the Stockholm Convention, a
global treaty drawn up to protect human health and the environment. To
make matters worse, according to researchers from Tohoku University in
Japan, copper acts as a catalyst for the formation of PCDD/Fs during the
combustion of PVC. So burning all that PVC-insulated copper wiring, may
lead to even higher emissions of PCDD/Fs."

Cheers,
DaveyOz