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Local Copper Thefts
CHAMPAIGN-- It's that shiny, familiar color. But it's not gold. It's copper.
Corey Mathis, of Mack's Recycling in Urbana, says, "It's a big amount of our business. It's the biggest item, as far as price goes, that people can bring in."
And thanks to wide availability and a skyrocketing price, now approaching three dollars a pound, it's becoming one of the most popular metals sold to scrap yards.
Mathis adds, "Anything, clean wire that's been stripped, insulated wire that's been stripped, it can also include copper tubing, anything that's clean and just copper."
At Mack's Recycling in Urbana, copper sales account for more than half of all recycling business. Giant holding bins, for instance, are filled within a week or two. But as the price rises, so does the crime.
Champaign County Sheriff Dan Walsh says, "It's quite noticeable and it's been going on for years. We've had plumbing systems pulled out of houses under construction, we've had air conditioning units taken off the top of existing buildings, we've had stuff obviously stolen from construction sites."
On January 1st a state bill went into effect that aims to severely punish dealers who purchase materials that are known to be stolen. But so far authorities are struggling with how to prevent it in the first place.
"This kind of thing in certain areas, it's very difficult to prevent the theft, because quite literally they are stealing items that are affixed to their real estate. You can't get much more secure than that."
Adam Rife reporting
Local Copper Thefts
CHAMPAIGN-- It's that shiny, familiar color. But it's not gold. It's copper.
Corey Mathis, of Mack's Recycling in Urbana, says, "It's a big amount of our business. It's the biggest item, as far as price goes, that people can bring in."
And thanks to wide availability and a skyrocketing price, now approaching three dollars a pound, it's becoming one of the most popular metals sold to scrap yards.
Mathis adds, "Anything, clean wire that's been stripped, insulated wire that's been stripped, it can also include copper tubing, anything that's clean and just copper."
At Mack's Recycling in Urbana, copper sales account for more than half of all recycling business. Giant holding bins, for instance, are filled within a week or two. But as the price rises, so does the crime.
Champaign County Sheriff Dan Walsh says, "It's quite noticeable and it's been going on for years. We've had plumbing systems pulled out of houses under construction, we've had air conditioning units taken off the top of existing buildings, we've had stuff obviously stolen from construction sites."
On January 1st a state bill went into effect that aims to severely punish dealers who purchase materials that are known to be stolen. But so far authorities are struggling with how to prevent it in the first place.
"This kind of thing in certain areas, it's very difficult to prevent the theft, because quite literally they are stealing items that are affixed to their real estate. You can't get much more secure than that."
Adam Rife reporting
