The morning news here in the San Francisco Bay Area reported a downed power pole that was purposefully cut down so thieves could steal the copper in the wires. This was on a busy street and is still causing traffic issues.
I looked up the http://metalprices.com/FreeSite/metals/cu/cu.asp, since I’ve noticed many stories lately of copper theft, particularly people breaking into foreclosed homes to rip out pipes. Holy Crap! A year ago it was less than 50¢ per pound, today it’s freaking over $3.00 per pound. :eek:
I don’t know where they got their prices, but I don’t think copper went that low even at the bottom of the 2008 plunge. Copper bottomed on Comex at $1.2475 a pound on Dec. 24, 2008, according to Bloomberg, which still makes the rebound to today’s $3.0840 pretty impressive.
I’d like to know how they sell it too. It can’t be just a matter of hopping down to the recycling station. Is it like the old automobile “Chop Shops” that were in every industrial park int he '70s?
And wouldn’t you get more money selling it as actual wire? I mean, it’s been processed, refined, stretched out, insulated, why melt it again?
Yes, it can be. I work for an electrical utility and it happens all the time.
ETA: Actually, if you mean a government run recycling plant, then no, there are plenty of privately run metal recyclers around that may look the other way when things come in.
No one would use “Used” wire. Whenever wire is removed from service, we recycle it. We never reuse it.
Scrap yards buy metal. Unscrupulous ones won’t ask you any questions about where you got a truck load of old pipes.
I believe there are some areas where laws have been passed to try to stop this. They require anyone selling copper to produce ID and the buyer has to maintain records.
As someone who does sell (legally obtained) scrap for cash, yes, it’s well known among the folks who sell scrap (however obtained) that there are recyclers who don’t give a damn where it came from, and recyclers who do care.
As a practical thing, under a certain amount no one will check up on you, so if you did your own home remodeling and wound up with a pound or two of old pipe you could probably take it just about anywhere with no problem. If you show up with 100 pounds reputable recyclers will ask questions.
The place I usually goes to posts the weights at which you have to start providing proof stuff isn’t stolen for a variety of metals, copper and steel being the top of the list.
Happens all the time around here. Burglars get the firemen called out to a house by ripping the gas pipes out without disconnecting them from the mains. One bloke got electrocuted trying to steal the wire that carried the electricity for the East Coast Main Line railway. Several cars were damaged driving over manholes whose covers had been stolen.