1. Overview of the scrap copper recycling industry

Scrap copper is an important resource recycling material that can be reused by producing secondary copper through recycling and processing. The utilization of scrap copper can be divided into direct utilization and indirect utilization. In my country, recycled copper is mainly indirect utilization. Direct utilization mainly uses red copper and alloy recycled copper as raw materials, and is directly processed and produced into copper materials by copper processing enterprises. Indirect utilization is to produce refined copper after removing base metals from scrap copper through the smelting process. According to the properties of scrap copper, copper recycling resources can be divided into two categories: new scrap copper and old scrap copper. New scrap copper is mainly waste generated in the production process of copper industry, including scraps, mechanical processing debris, etc., accounting for 30%-40% of copper processing output, and can be directly used for copper smelting. Old scrap copper has a wide range of sources, such as scrap copper materials dismantled from scrap transformers, motors, cables, household appliances, etc., mostly in the form of copper alloys.

2. Background of the development of the scrap copper recycling industry

Policies drive the development of the precious metal recycling industry. In recent years, the country has attached great importance to the comprehensive utilization of resources industry and has successively introduced a series of policies to promote the development of the industry. With the development of the industry, the number of companies engaged in precious metal recycling has gradually increased, and technology has been continuously improving. At the same time, my country has also introduced a series of policies to increase environmental protection supervision to regulate the healthy and orderly development of the industry. In July 2020, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee pointed out: "Accelerate the formation of a new development pattern with the domestic big cycle as the main body and the domestic and international double cycles promoting each other." The supply of major precious metal raw minerals in my country is less than the demand, and the degree of external dependence is relatively high. The development of the precious metal recycling industry is an important link in the realization of the internal circulation of precious metals.