Copper can be found in many places, particularly in the construction industry, houses, where large amounts of waste aluminum and copper are readily available.
Any home that has natural gas will have an abundance of copper pipes. Sometimes water is also transported in copper pipes in a house. Eventually these pipes develop leaks and need to be repaired or replaced. Sometimes large sections of pipes are replaced by plumbers, which creates a significant amount of copper pipe waste.
Electrical wiring is a good source of scrap metal, which leads electricians an opportunity to get cash where others see excess waste. All electrical work produces small amounts of cable that are cut off. Although these tips seem insignificant in themselves, they quickly add up to a considerable amount of copper.