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Because it’s expensive and in short supply? There’s a reason why salvagers and squatters will often rip out any copper wiring and piping they can find in an aba
by gshdg 7y ago
Because it’s expensive and in short supply? There’s a reason why salvagers and squatters will often rip out any copper wiring and piping they can find in an abandoned structure.
- thedanbob 7y agoThis was addressed in the article: > It doesn't seem like we'll run out of copper in the near future, according to the World Copper Factbook from 2019. Copper is one of the most recycled of all metals—nearly all copper can be recycled and not lose any of its properties. and > Even when factoring in how much the copper cost initially, you'd make that money back in savings within two months, Schmidt said. And considering that the copper never loses its microbial killing abilities—hospitals would quickly be saving money (and lives).
- ceejayoz 7y agoIt's recycled because it's scarce, though. If we suddenly used it on everything, it'd be even more scarce.
- kwhitefoot 7y agoTrue, but copper is the 26th commonest element in the Earth's crust at between 50 and 100 parts per million with an annual production of nearly 20 million tonne. So it seems unlikely that will will run short of it soon, and if we do then we can simply reuse what we have used on door handles, etc. It's recycled so much partly because it is easy and cheap to do and because copper that is contaminated making it unusable for electrical wire is still useful for other purposes such as plumbing.