British circular economy company TXO recently provided an enticing estimate of the potential value of copper wires owned by telecom companies if properly recycled and reused. Over the next 10 years, TXO stated, telcos could "harvest" 800,000 metric tons of copper wires. At today's prices, this material could be worth more than $7 billion, and its value continues to increase.

More than a dozen companies are now exploring how to extract this metallic treasure from old, increasingly obsolete telephone networks to resell the recycled cables on the open market. TXO highlights that copper wires aren't as essential as they once were, as fiber optics technology, which offers significantly better reliability and data transfer capabilities, is replacing the old metal.

Recycling old materials to build new devices is becoming a paramount concept in the technology industry, and copper is extremely valuable for today's applications, including solar panels and batteries. According to a 2022 report from S&P Global, demand for copper could double by 2035, increasing from 25 million metric tons to 50 million.

https://www.techspot.com/community/topics/telcos-happen-to-be-sitting-on-a-gold-mine-of-buried-copper-wire.286191/

We don't "need" electric cars, vast solar projects, or wind turbines. We don't need excess copper wiring or copper plumbing in the homes of wealthy people.

When do we say, "Enough!"

Could it be that we've already mined enough copper?