2019 Recycling Industry Yearbook

ISRI.ORG 27 COPPER Archaeological evidence shows that people have been using copper for more than 10,000 years. Today copper remains a vital commodity used in construction, electrical equipment, transportation, consumer goods, and other products. Copper combines well with other metals, such as tin, lead, and zinc, to form metal alloys. Bronze and brass are two of the most common copper alloys, but hundreds of others have been created for the specific properties they can provide. U.S. AND EXPORT MARKETS In 2018, U.S. recyclers recovered 870,000 mt of old and new copper scrap, up 1% from 2017. 83% of that total is new scrap from fabricating operations and 17% is old scrap, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. That supply met 34% of the U.S. market’s need for refined copper. Global and U.S. prices for copper fell in 2018, largely due to Chinese scrap import restrictions and slower Chinese economic growth. For the year, the London Metal Exchange three-month-average price for copper remained 6% above its price in 2017, but prices fell 14% from January to December. U.S. prices for No. 2 refiners’ copper scrap also fell 14% in that period. U.S. copper and copper alloy scrap exports to China and Hong Kong fell 56% in 2018, according to trade data from the U.S. Census Bureau, from 724,221 mt to 315,525 mt. Other export market gains could not off- set this decline in Chinese demand, resulting in a 9% decrease in total U.S. copper scrap exports compared with 2017, to 913,000 mt. China and Hong Kong purchased 35% of U.S. copper scrap in 2018, compared with 72% in 2017. Other important overseas markets for U.S. copper scrap exports in 2018 included Malaysia (up 2,053% from 2017, to 119,573 mt), Canada (down 1.5%), South Korea (up 129%), Japan (up 165%), and India (up 94%). About 1/3 of the U.S. copper supply comes from scrap. The United States recycles enough copper each year to equal the copper content of more than 30,000 Statues of Liberty.