Kuusakoski’s upcoming facility in Finland to recycle aluminium and copper from cables

Kuusakoski, one of the leading industrial recyclers known for processing waste materials on an industrial scale with years of experience and expertise, is planning to complete its €7 million processing facility for materials comprising aluminium and copper in Heinola, Finland.

This is a part of the multi-year investment programme, which seeks to boost material yield, offer cleaner finished goods, and improve capacity using recycled raw materials. The development project will be combined with the recycling facility owned by Kuusakoski in Heinola. The infrastructure building and the property's renovations got underway last spring and are expected to be operational by March 2023.

"Our new copper centre is unique in Finland. With this investment, we are able to serve our customers more locally, which is not only more sustainable for the environment but also financially profitable – both for us and for our customers", said President and CEO Mikko Kuusilehto.

The new facility will be able to efficiently handle cables that include both aluminium and copper and separate the metals before sending the aluminium portions to a smelter. The plant is designed to handle copper-containing materials, including cables, radiators, transformers, and other materials across the country. The business's only similar activities have been in Skelleftehamn, Sweden.

"By producing cleaner copper and aluminium fractions, we provide our customers with a higher utilisation rate of recycled material. The whole of society benefits from this. Emission savings achieved by Kuusakoski's products, our carbon handprint, is over ten times more than the emissions caused, our carbon footprint", added Mikko Kuusilehto.

A pre-crushing line and a separating line will make up the facility. The material will be crushed and sorted using windscreens, magnetic separators, and the pre-crushing line. For instance, a windscreen may be used to eliminate the paper from the copper transformer. The material will be broken down into minute granules to facilitate separation in the separation line. For instance, aluminium, copper, and plastic may be distinguished and recovered from cables and radiators based on the particle weight.