BHP shares closed at USD 86.07 in New York on October 2, 2026, up 1.68%, after the 1,020-member supervisors' union at the Escondida copper mine rejected BHP's final contract offer on September 30 with 95 percent voting for strike action. Chilean authorities must now oversee a five-day mediation, extendable by another five days, before any legal work stoppage can begin.
Preliminary ICSG statistics reported by ScrapInsight (October 2026) show global secondary copper production grew 4.3% year-on-year in January-July 2026, far ahead of primary copper at 1.0%, with total refined output up 1.7%. China expanded refined output 4.6% while the rest of the world fell 2.5%, making scrap supply the structural pivot of the copper market.
The Bureau of International Recycling has urged its members to check whether their destination markets are covered by the European Commission's draft list of non-OECD countries authorized to receive certain non-hazardous metal waste from the bloc starting May 21, 2027, and to submit input by October 9 so BIR can prepare a consolidated industry response to the Commission's September 18-October 16 public consultation. Only five of the 24 countries and territories that applied would be authorized to receive metal waste under the current draft.
Delhi's benchmark copper scrap rate held at Rs 1.27 per gram (about Rs 1,269 per kilogram) on October 5, 2026, with the last ten sessions moving in a narrow Rs 1.26-1.30 band. Scrap close to ETP (electrolytic tough pitch) purity trades at only a narrow discount to the benchmark, while burnt cable and mixed copper alloy lots are heavily discounted, so a seller's realized price depends mainly on sorting.
Atlantic Copper, the Freeport-McMoRan-owned Spanish copper smelter, has officially inaugurated CirCular, a more-than-550-million-euro metals recovery plant integrated into its Huelva metallurgical complex. The facility processes up to 60,000 tonnes per year of non-ferrous fractions from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), recovering copper, gold, silver, palladium, platinum and nickel. The European Commission and the Andalusian regional government have designated the project strategic; the company says it is the first facility of its kind in southern Europe and expects about 350 direct and indirect jobs.
KGHM (55%) and South32 (45%) have formally launched a $725 million expansion of the Sierra Gorda copper-molybdenum mine in Chile's Antofagasta region. A fourth grinding line will raise ore-processing capacity 26%, from about 131,000 to 165,000 tonnes per day, targeting average annual payable copper output of about 195,000 tonnes with roughly 10% lower average operating unit costs. Construction starts in January 2027 with full capacity expected in the second half of 2030; the project is funded from operating cash flow and joint-venture debt.
HPW Metallwerk of Linz, Austria, has commissioned a new UPCAST copper wire casting plant at its Garsten electromobility center. The plant can use processed copper scrap and recycled copper cathodes directly as feedstock to cast premium copper wire, cutting CO2 and improving raw-material resilience — a new direct demand outlet for clean, well-sorted copper scrap and granules.
Glencore said on October 2, 2026, that it received approval under Argentina's Incentive Regime for Large Investments (RIGI) for the MARA (Agua Rica) copper, gold, silver and molybdenum project in Catamarca province, ahead of restarting operations at the Alumbrera processing plant. The company expects first production at Alumbrera in the first half of next year, a year ahead of its original guidance.
Ohio House Bill 210 takes effect October 6, 2026 and materially strengthens state enforcement over scrap-metal dealers. A new Revised Code section authorizes Department of Public Safety investigations, record subpoenas, registration suspension or revocation, injunctions and civil penalties for unregistered dealing. Ohio already classifies utility cable, wire, electrical components and burnt wire as special purchase articles, so cable recyclers should treat this as an enforcement change around existing traceability duties rather than a new copper-price or federal trade rule.
China imported 177,400 tonnes (physical content) of copper scrap in August 2026, down 19.04% month-on-month and 1.05% year-on-year, bringing January-August cumulative imports to 1.638 million tonnes (+8.14% YoY), per SMM customs data. Southeast Asia remained the largest supply region with stable shipments from Thailand; imports from most European countries pulled back month-on-month, though Spain sustained high year-on-year growth.
South African police have moved to amend the Second-Hand Goods Act so that all acquisitions of controlled metals (including copper) by scrap dealers must be paid by electronic means, with dealer and waste-picker registers recording seller identity. Foreign nationals without verified legal permanent residency would be barred from trading licences. The bill, approved by cabinet for public comment in August with comments due by November 2, escalates the September recommendation to end cash copper-scrap trading into a concrete legislative step.
US recyclers told American Recycler (October 2026 issue) that volatility now rewards producers of clean, consistent, specified scrap: when prices swing, buyers pay up for material they can trust and discount material they must sort or sample. Tariff announcements can reset domestic premiums overnight, so five years of watching only COMEX and LME no longer suffices; processing quality and sorting consistency have become the steadier profit lever.
Maryland House Bill 1100 took effect October 1, 2026, requiring junk dealers and scrap-metal processors to verify a seller's lawful authority before buying telecommunications equipment including fiber-optic and copper cables, keep records and report purchases to law enforcement. On September 30, Senators Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) introduced the Senate companion to the Stopping the Theft and Destruction of Broadband Act to strengthen federal penalties for vandalizing broadband networks.
ScrapMonster's weekly report for September 25-October 1, 2026 (published Oct 2) shows broad North American copper scrap weakness: COMEX copper futures closed at USD 6.5828/lb on Oct 1, down 3.05% on the week, with the LME 3-month contract at $14,243.50/MT. The three major clean grades each lost $0.22/lb (#1 Bare Bright -3.30%, #1 Wire & Tubing -3.35%, #2 -3.40%) and #3 Light Copper fell 3.45%. China copper scrap eased 0.09% and India 0.77%. The report notes trade-policy uncertainty and narrowing COMEX-LME spreads are reducing the incentive to redirect refined copper units into U.S. warehouses.
Trading Economics (Oct 2, 2026) reports copper futures steadied around $6.52/lb on Friday but remained on track for a nearly 3% weekly decline, weighed down by signs of weakening industrial activity in top consumer China, a stronger dollar, elevated bond yields and rising oil prices amid US-Iran escalation risk. Supply-side items: potential strike at an Antofagasta site in Chile, Panama's government proposing to resume operations at a major mine, and the Trump administration postponing its decision on refined copper tariffs.
CME reported a new application for COMEX copper regularity at Mobile, Alabama, while the CFTC's September 29 data showed a 5.6% weekly decline in non-commercial net-long copper futures positioning. For physical-market context, BLS reported August copper base scrap producer prices up 4.2% month over month and nonferrous wire and cable up 2.4%; these are official indexes, not spot scrap quotations.
The European Commission's draft list of countries eligible to receive non-hazardous metal waste excludes India from ferrous and non-ferrous scrap shipments, citing environmental-management concerns. Consultation runs to 16 October 2026 with curbs possibly effective 21 May 2027; Indian industry warns of higher procurement costs and MSME pressure, since Europe supplies 22-23% of India's non-ferrous scrap imports.
The South African Human Rights Commission has recommended that all copper scrap transactions be made cashless, with electronic payment records kept for at least five years, to curb trade in stolen copper cable and infrastructure metal. The proposal is a recommendation, not yet law; if legislated it would raise traceability and compliance burdens for South African copper scrap collectors, recyclers, traders and exporters.
Dubai Customs Notice No. 13/2026 keeps copper scrap (HS 74040000) under export restriction through October 8, 2026 — and renews automatically unless Dubai Customs issues a cancellation notice. October 8 is not a confirmed end date; recyclers and buyers should plan on the renewal case, with narrow exemptions via the foreign-trade ministry.
India’s G.S.R. 438(E), notified on July 1, 2025, brings the non-ferrous scrap EPR rules into force on April 1, 2026. The framework covers aluminium, copper, zinc and their alloys. The 100% preceding-year import obligation applies specifically to importers of used devices, used products or non-ferrous scrap; it should not be generalized to every importer. General producer targets are phased separately.
India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade says no decision has been taken to drop pre-shipment inspection for scrap imports, while the Material Recycling Association of India petitions to move checks to domestic ports, citing a shortage of authorized inspection agencies in source countries. About 2,500 scrap containers arrive in India daily from more than 160 countries; DGFT is weighing the representation and is open to easing compliance.
The July 30, 2026 presidential determination under the Defense Production Act authorizes action on recoverable critical minerals and materials; it is a presidential memorandum, rather than a September executive order. Copper scrap is excluded from that determination because it is addressed separately. The subsequent BIS temporary final rule targets black mass and tungsten waste and scrap, requiring 100% of monthly sales to US persons unless BIS grants an adjustment or exception. These provisions should not be described as a universal ban on all scrap exports.
BIR's official programme lists its World Recycling Convention in Malaga for 2026-10-25 to 2026-10-27, including non-ferrous metals and electronics sessions. The schedule remains provisional; use the organizer's programme and registration pages for current arrangements.
ScrapMonster's North American index reports a 2¢/lb decline in clean copper grades for 2026-09-30. The report was published on 2026-10-01. These are dated index movements, not live prices or Mecuvo scrap-purchase quotes.
Two U.S. notices concern proposed tariff coverage for specified electric conductor cables and preliminary antidumping-review results for Mexican copper pipe and tube. Neither notice establishes a new blanket duty on copper scrap.
ICSG estimates that secondary refined copper production rose 4.3% in January–July 2026, while mine production fell 1%. Its preliminary global refined-copper balance shows a 32,000-tonne surplus before adjustment for Chinese bonded stocks. These figures describe the first seven months, not September production.
DOE invited industry input on potential reuse of surplus materials, including copper, at five cleanup sites. The initiative explores recovery and industrial demand for materials no longer needed for planned agency work. Proposals would need appropriate processing expertise; the announcement is exploratory, not a supply contract.
The Commission opened consultation on proposed non-OECD destinations for EU non-hazardous waste exports under rules applying from May 2027. Feedback is due on 16 October 2026. The announcement also reviews plastic-waste exports to Türkiye; the proposed country list is not yet final.
Copper in retired cables, buildings and electrical equipment can support U.S. supply. The article identifies collection costs, sorting and refining capacity as recovery constraints, and argues for easier disassembly and better material tracking. Long equipment lifetimes limit how quickly this resource becomes available.