Can I recycle cable insulation?

[HappyHippyDad]

Now I have my wonderful cable stripper I am left with lots of PVC insulation. I am loath to just put it in the bin. Can this be recycled? What do you guys do with your left over insulation?
If I had left the insulation on and had it weighed in then the PVC insulation would have been recycled therefore I'll have a to have a rethink on the stripping process if my plastic has to go to landfill.

 

[telectrix]

put it in the plastic recycle bin along with the plastic milk bottols from Aldi.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

It's a good question. PVC can be recycled by a suitable facility but I'm not sure whether normal 'dry mixed recycling' generally accepts it. Polystyrene is usually prohibited, but I can't immediately see any advice for or against PVC. The snag is that if you put in too much of a contaminant, the sorter output might not meet the required purity and has to be discarded to normal waste.

 

[davesparks]

I guess technically this is commercial waste and should be handled by a suitable contractor who can take commercial recyclable waste, but that would probably cost more than the profit from the scrap.

I dont know if it would even be recycled if you took it unstripped to the scrap dealer, I suspect they just chuck all the PVC in a skip once it has been seperated.

 

[Strima]

I tried to recycle through a local PVC company but they wanted me to pay them to recycle it...

 

[HappyHippyDad]

I guess technically this is commercial waste and should be handled by a suitable contractor who can take commercial recyclable waste, but that would probably cost more than the profit from the scrap.

I dont know if it would even be recycled if you took it unstripped to the scrap dealer, I suspect they just chuck all the PVC in a skip once it has been seperated.

I asked the scrap yard manager about what happens to it and he explained the 'micronisation' of the PVC. Basically it gets shredded up into miniscule pieces and then recycled. At least that is what he says happens, he may well just chuck it. I think I'll approach him again and ask if he'll take it.
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put it in the plastic recycle bin along with the plastic milk bottols from Aldi.

That's probably not a good idea Tel. As Lucien says if too much of the wrong type goes in they chuck the whole lot.
The recycling moto is 'if in doubt chuck it out', sounds crazy but if you're unsure (and can't find out) then the best thing is to put it in the bin so it doesn't risk the whole lorry load.

 

[davesparks]

I asked the scrap yard manager about what happens to it and he explained the 'micronisation' of the PVC. Basically it gets shredded up into miniscule pieces and then recycled. At least that is what he says happens, he may well just chuck it. I think I'll approach him again and ask if he'll take it.

They definately shred it, they shred the whole cable down into tiny pieces then use a vibrating machine to sort the heavier metal chips from the lighter plastic chips.
A quick sweep with a magnet then removes the steel from the SWA and they are left with all the copper chippings.

Some of the more honest/serious business scrap dealers probably do recycle, but I'm a bit more used to dealing with the more traditional scrap metal dealers.

 

[JD6400]

I mentioned about getting a shredder in your other post about scrap , a mate first got me looking at shredders whilst he was on a factory visit in Italy looking at a new concrete crusher , the company also did industrial shredders and he said that they had clients who sold the waste pvc on to a company which blends it into a covering that goes on high end horse areans .
But I would imagine they only buy in the multiple ton range , and to be honest it only saves it from landfill by maybe 10 - 15 years as I should imagine that is where it would eventually end up every time the areana is refurbished.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

Update..

I rang my local scrap metal merchant. They had no wish to take the left over plastic and rubber and said that noone would take it and it just goes to land fill.

If I leave it on the cable it gets shredded down to miniscule pieces and sieved so the metal is separated from the plastic. The plastic 'crumb' is then used for different purposes, some of which are roads and football pitches.

Leave it on the cable it gets recycled, take it off and it doesn't!

 

[Timbo]

That's why there's a price difference!

 

[westward10]

I suppose if you take it unstripped the sheath/insulation becomes a byproduct and they have found a productive way to dispose of it, on its own they are not interested in processing it.

 

[Zerax]

Call me a sceptic... but... I don't think much of our carefully separated plastic/cardboard/paper etc. is ever recycled. Did I read somewhere that a council has told people not to bother as most will go to landfill anyway ? I think glass is just about the only thing anyone wants ?

 

[telectrix]

our local waste disposal site boasts that 70% - 80% of all waste received is recycled.

 

[Zerax]

our local waste disposal site boasts that 70% - 80% of all waste received is recycled.

Call me a sceptic... but... it depends how you measure it. I'm a very firm believer in the old adage "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

 

[Midwest]

Our commercial wasted is recycled, anything that isn't is burnt and the energy is captured.

 

[DPG]

Call me a sceptic... but... it depends how you measure it. I'm a very firm believer in the old adage "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

You'll find a lot, if not most, areas recycle waste. Our waste that would previously have gone to landfill is converted to a format suitable for using by Ferrybridge power station, where they have shut down the coal burning side now. This method also saves the council money, as it costs much more to send the waste to land fill.

You'd be surprised how much waste is now recycled.

 

[Lister1987]

Problem is that it's never truly recycled, you can argue that it results in fewer pollutants compared with making plastic from scratch but it's not truly carbon neutral recycled.

 

[DPG]

Nothing can be fully 'carbon neutral ' recycled though. Any process takes energy. But the material is not buried in the land to be re-mined - it is ready for re-use after recycling.

 

[Zerax]

You'll find a lot, if not most, areas recycle waste. Our waste that would previously have gone to landfill is converted to a format suitable for using by Ferrybridge power station...

Not sure I'd count 'burning it' as recycling... but I guess as long as it's done cleanly and doesn't go to landfill... it's a good thing.

My issue with the whole recycling topic is that when most people think of recycling, they imagine that it's processed into something that has a practical use. I fear that the reality is substantially different.

 

[DPG]

Not sure I'd count 'burning it' as recycling... but I guess as long as it's done cleanly and doesn't go to landfill... it's a good thing.

My issue with the whole recycling topic is that when most people think of recycling, they imagine that it's processed into something that has a practical use. I fear that the reality is substantially different.

Look at the recycling of plastic bottles and tin cans. 20 years ago these would have been buried in the ground like everything else was. Not now.