電線リサイクルの現状と課題

抄録

Now, by recycling processing of used electric cables, the recycling rate of copper and aluminum of the conductor are almost 100%, but the plastic separated from the conductor is about 50%. Those plastics are dealt with for counter value. The remaining plastics are discarded as industrial waste. As a technical subject the separation of the nugget plastics is important.
Recently the increase in export of used electric cables is remarkable; especially the export to China is increasing. In China, plastic is thoroughly separated at cheap personnel expenses and the plastic can be sold for counter value. It is because the Chinese purchase price is higher than Japanese. For that reason, the amount of processing used electric cable in Japanese manufacture is decreasing and it is doubtful of continuation. Copper and plastics which are the material of electric cables are recyclable materials. They are worried about exhaustion in near future. Used electric cables should be changed into various material, and it should be re-made to recycle as a material of electric cables. Japan Electric Cable Technology Center investigated the present condition and the problem of waste electric cable recycling, at the same time it studied various kinds of recycling technology. The present condition of Japanese electric cable recycling is reported.