Scrap Wiki
Switches are divided into household and industrial types. Industrial switches, such as blade-type valve switches, have a high copper content and high production value. The most valuable switches are those with leakage protection, such as circuit breakers. These switches have sensitive silver contacts that can handle high electrical currents. The processing of switch waste primarily involves manual disassembly; after disassembly, the circuit boards can be processed through hydrometallurgy extraction to wash silver or smelted using pyrometallurgical methods. The cost of smelting is approximately 270-410 USD per ton. Large industrial switches have even higher copper content.
A switch like the one in the following image typically has a copper content of 10%-20%, with a small number featuring silver contacts. Its price is around 959-1233 USD per ton. White switches are slightly better than black ones.
