You don't need to strip copper wire to recycle it. When you use a free recycler, such as an e-waste recycler, copper wire recycling includes separating the copper from the plastic. Stripping only makes sense if you're selling thick wire to a scrap yard and have the time. Never burn insulation off, and never cut wire from a live circuit.
Below you'll find which wires contain copper, the difference between bare and insulated wire, a quick table for deciding whether to strip, and what happens to wire after you drop it off. There are no prices here. Scrap yards set those, and they change.
What kinds of wire contain copper?
Most wire in a home or office has copper inside it, so copper wire recycling starts with knowing what you have. Copper is one of the common types of scrap metal, and wire is where most people find it. The table shows the usual sources and where each one goes.
| Wire or item | Copper inside? | Insulated? | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power cords and extension cords | Yes | Yes | Cable recycling |
| Chargers and power bricks | Yes, plus a circuit board | Yes | Cable recycling (e-waste) |
| Ethernet, phone and USB cables | Yes, thin strands | Yes | Cable recycling |
| Coaxial cable | Yes, in the center conductor | Yes | Cable recycling (small fee) |
| Speaker and audio wire | Yes | Yes | Cable recycling |
| Building wire offcuts (NM cable, THHN) | Yes, thick solid or stranded | Yes | Scrap metal |
| Bare ground wire | Yes | No | Scrap metal |
| Motor and transformer windings | Yes, coated | Thin enamel | Scrap metal, inside the motor |
| Copper pipe and tubing | Yes (not wire) | No | Scrap metal |
Two look-alikes can fool you, though. Copper-clad aluminum is aluminum wire with a thin copper skin. Tinned copper, on the other hand, is copper with a silver-colored coating. To check, scrape the cut end with a knife. If it's silver underneath a copper color, it's probably copper-clad aluminum.
Wire with plugs, adapters and power bricks counts as e-waste in California, because chargers and adapters contain circuit boards. Our page on recycling old cables and cords lists every type we take. A small fee applies to coax and fiber optic cable, shown on that page.
Insulated vs bare copper wire
Bare copper wire has no jacket. You'll see it as ground wire in building work, or as the shiny copper left after someone strips a cable. Insulated wire, by contrast, has a jacket of PVC or rubber around the copper. In fact, most household wire is insulated.
Scrap yards grade the two differently, because insulated wire carries plastic weight that has to be removed. The grade names you'll hear, such as "bare bright", "#1", "#2" and "insulated", come from industry grading. ReMA (the Recycled Materials Association) publishes the Specifications Circular that buyers use as a guideline for grading scrap. In plain words, the cleaner, thicker and less coated the copper, the higher the grade.
None of that matters for copper wire recycling at a free recycler. A recycler takes insulated and bare wire together and separates the copper during processing.
Should you strip copper wire before recycling?
For most copper wire recycling, no. The answer depends on where the wire is going and how much of it you have.
| Your situation | Strip it? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling wire free at a recycler | No | The recycler separates copper from plastic during processing |
| Cords and cables with plugs still on | No | Bring them as they are. Plugs are cut off during processing |
| A small bag of thin, mixed cords to sell | Usually not | Thin wire takes a long time to strip for very little copper |
| A large load of thick building wire to sell | Maybe | Only if you have the right tool, the time and a safe place to work |
| Wire still in a wall or panel | Not yet | Make the circuit safe first. Ask an electrician for building wire |
First, stripping takes time and needs the right tool. It also leaves you with a pile of plastic insulation that still needs somewhere to go. At a free recycler it adds nothing, because the wire is processed by machine anyway. Our cable page puts it simply: there's no need to sort, untangle or cut off plugs.
If you're selling, a common rule of thumb on scrap forums is that only thick wire is worth stripping by hand. Still, treat that as a rule of thumb, not a fact. Ask the yard how it grades wire before you spend an evening with a stripper.
How to strip copper wire safely, if you do
- Only remove wire from circuits that are switched off and tested dead. For building wire, have an electrician make it safe first.
- Use a proper wire stripper or a cable stripping tool, not a loose utility knife.
- Cut away from your body, and keep your free hand behind the blade.
- Wear cut-resistant gloves and eye protection, because snipped strands can fly.
- Work at a bench in good light, and bag the stripped insulation as you go.
Can you burn the insulation off copper wire?
No. The smoke is toxic, and burning isn't part of safe copper wire recycling. The California Air Resources Board warns that burning waste with plastics, metals and synthetic materials creates dangerous chemicals, including dioxins, benzene and PCBs. PVC wire insulation, for example, is exactly that kind of material. Outdoor burning rules are set by your local air district, so don't assume a backyard fire is allowed. Recycle the wire with its jacket on instead.
How to recycle copper wire
Copper wire recycling is mostly about not overthinking it. These steps cover a household or office load.
- First, gather the wire in a bag, box or bin.
- Don't untangle it. Bring it as it is.
- Leave plugs and connectors on. We remove them during processing.
- Keep wire apart from loose batteries, and tape the terminals on any battery packs attached to cables.
- Keep it out of the blue bin. The City of San Diego lists wires and cords as "tanglers" that stay out.
- Drop it off, or ask about pickup for bulk loads.
Which location to use depends on the wire. Cords, chargers and data cable can go to any of our six locations. However, copper pipe, bare wire and building-wire offcuts are scrap metal, and we take scrap metal only at our Point Loma and Chula Vista recycling centers. The City of San Diego curbside rules also keep wire out of the blue bin, because it tangles in the sorting machines.
What happens to copper wire after you drop it off
At our facility, wire goes through a simple sequence. Cables are sorted into grades such as power cords, data cables, coax and USB or HDMI, because each grade holds a different amount of copper. Plugs, connectors, power bricks and adapters are cut off and sent to separate electronics recycling streams.
The cable is then processed to separate copper and aluminum conductors from the PVC and rubber insulation. After that, the recovered metal goes to certified downstream processors and back into manufacturing. Other metals from the same load, such as steel brackets or brass fittings, follow their own routes, which our guide to the different types of scrap metal explains.
Other materials from a job site
A rewire or remodel rarely leaves only wire. Deliveries arrive on pallets, and our pallet recycling page explains which ones we take. Inside the house, the drawer of old cables and chargers usually comes with old devices too, and they can go in the same trip.
Bring your wire as it is
Have a bag of cords or a box of wire offcuts? Drop it off as it is. Cords, chargers and data cable go through our cable recycling service at any of our six locations. Copper pipe, bare wire and other metal go through our free scrap metal recycling at Point Loma and Chula Vista, open Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Frequently asked questions
Can I recycle copper wire with the plugs still on?
Yes. Leave the plugs, connectors and power bricks on. We cut them off during processing and send them to separate electronics recycling streams. There's no need to sort or untangle the cords either. Just bring them in a bag or box.
Is Christmas light wire copper?
Yes, mostly thin copper strands with a lot of plastic and small bulbs. It isn't worth stripping by hand, because there's very little copper for the effort. Recycle the strings as cable, with the bulbs and plugs still attached, and take out any batteries from battery-powered sets first.
Can contractors drop off building wire offcuts?
Building-wire offcuts are scrap metal, and we take scrap metal at our Point Loma and Chula Vista recycling centers. For bulk cable from an office move, rewire or job site, we also offer free business pickup. Email photos of large or unusual loads first so we can plan the collection.
How can I tell copper from copper-clad aluminum?
Scrape or cut the end of the wire. Solid copper is copper-colored all the way through. If you see silver under a thin copper skin, it's copper-clad aluminum or tinned wire. Copper-clad aluminum is also noticeably lighter than copper wire of the same thickness.
Can I put copper wire in my recycling bin?
No. The City of San Diego lists wires and cords as tanglers to keep out of the blue bin, because they wrap around the sorting machinery. Take wire to a scrap metal or e-waste recycler instead. Cords and chargers count as e-waste in California.
