4 Places To Look For Scrap Copper In Your Home

Copper is big money these days, and it's lurking in more places around your home than you might think. If you've got a lot of old appliances or electronic items that don't work anymore, you can still put them to work for you. Make sure that you check all of your power cords before you throw something out, since it's likely got quite a bit of copper wire in it. Here are a few more specific places to look.

Old Televisions and Monitors

Televisions and computer monitors are a pain for most recycling centers because there are so many different components to sort out. If you're looking for scrap copper, it's a good idea to try breaking TVs and monitors down yourself. Most of the insulated wires inside contain copper, and there are other components that may have copper as well, such as chipsets and connecting wires.

Computers and Laptops

Old desktop towers have yards and yards of insulated wire inside that all contain copper. You'll need your wire strippers and some patience, but this is a gold mine for copper scrappers. Laptops have less interior wiring, but you can find copper on the interior components, so it's worth the time to sort through the interior of a laptop to see what's in there.

Electronics and Small Appliances

Small appliances and electronics have a lot more copper inside than many people think. DVD players, VCRs, and even toaster ovens have insulated wire and copper pieces that can really add up. Some window air conditioner units even using copper tubing throughout, which is a huge amount of copper to find. Even if you're not sure whether something could have copper in it, take the time to look. If you're throwing the item away anyway, then it doesn't matter if you open it up and find little or no copper.

Large Appliances

Large appliances yield a lot of different metals for scrapping, but a lot of people are surprised to find as much copper as they can contain. The "smart" refrigerators and freezers often have motherboards in them now that use copper components. Then you've got a ton of insulated wires and copper tubing, especially in refrigerators. Larger appliances often use really thick insulated wire, so that's a lot of copper right there.

If you're ready to try your hand at copper recycling, contact Sackin Metals or another company to find out how much you can get.