Copper Recycling in Vietnam: Current Situation and Orientation

Copper is an important non-ferrous metal with high economic value and unlimited recyclability. In Vietnam, copper recycling activities are developing rapidly due to strong demand in the electrical, electronics, mechanical, construction, and defense industries.

Common Sources of Copper Scrap

• Discarded electrical wires and cables.
• Old motors, machinery, and electronic devices.
• Smelting slag and waste from the steel industry.
• Electronic waste (e-waste).

Applications of Recycled Copper

• Electrical – Electronics: Wires, motors, circuit boards.
• Mechanical – Automotive: Copper pipes, machine parts.
• Construction: Water pipes, copper roofs, interior fittings.
• Defense: Bullet casings, specialized communication equipment.

Common Recycling Technologies

• Mechanical recycling: Crushing, sorting, and separating copper from plastic and rubber.
• Induction furnace: Casting copper into ingots, sheets, or coils.
• Hydrometallurgy: Extracting copper from e-waste using acid.
• Electrorefining: Producing pure cathode copper.

Legal Regulations

• The 2020 Law on Environmental Protection and related decrees and circulars tightly control recycling activities.
• Facilities are required to have environmental permits and standard waste treatment systems.
• Some copper-containing products (especially electronics) are already on the list for collection and recycling under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy.

Main Recycling Areas

• Copper recycling activities are concentrated in some craft villages in the North and industrial parks in the South.
• The current trend is to shift to concentrated recycling industrial clusters for better quality and environmental control.

Challenges

• Outdated technology causing pollution and low efficiency.
• Difficulty controlling the quality of incoming scrap.
• Lack of clear planning for recycling zones.
• Copper price fluctuations affecting long-term investment.

Development Directions

• Promote investment in clean, closed-loop technology.
• Form regional circular metal recycling centers.
• Expand the EPR mechanism, especially in the electronics sector.
• Strengthen environmental monitoring and eliminate polluting manual recycling models.

Source: Compiled from the Internet.