Disposal of cables at the "end of life"; some of the environmental considerations

Journal article, 2006

The collection and recovery of cables is driven by economic considerations because of the volume and the value of the metal. The polymer fraction is often seen as a waste product with little value. Environmental awareness and economic conditions such as the reduction of landfill or the banning of plastics in landfill is expected to change the way of handling the polymer waste. There are technical solutions for both material recycling and energy recovery. Material recovery is attractive for PVC; whereas either material or energy recovery are equally attractive for polyolefin (PE, PP, and XLPE) waste. Currently, the combustion of the polyolefin fraction (PP, XLPE, and PE) as high-grade fuel is the only practical way to handle the major part of the polyethylene fraction in a technical, economical, and environmentally acceptable way.