Admit It: You Have a Box of Cords You'll Never, Ever Use Again (wsj.com) 246
What's this one for? Who knows! Electronic gadgets fade away but their cables live on forever at home. From a report: There's a box that moved with Sarah Loveless and her husband from San Diego to Charleston, S.C., from Charleston to Dallas and from Dallas to Richland, Wash. The box, never unpacked, went into a closet or the garage each time. Contents: 20 to 30 electronics cords. "The box was just always a part of our life," says Ms. Loveless, 38. "It wasn't useful to us. We weren't doing anything with it except for moving it." Four years ago, they sorted through the box, paired a handful of cords with the respective devices and got rid of the rest. It was like having a weight lifted, she says and remembers thinking: "This isn't going to happen again. Why would we keep cords we don't need?" Then last summer, going through the garage, Ms. Loveless noticed a bag. "There is another collection of cords," she says. "I was just kind of, like, I thought we handled this. I thought this was in the past."
For as long as consumer electronics have existed, people have had a hard time ditching the old cords to expired and outdated devices. The TV sets, computers, printers, camcorders, VCRs, DVD players, MiniDisc players, BlackBerrys and iPods that the cords belonged to may not even be in their owner's possession. But the cords survive, squirreled away in drawers and bags and boxes. They might be useful someday, people tell themselves, even if some cords' purposes are lost to history. Henry Hall, of Bradenton, Fla., recalls going through his girlfriend's stuff after it came off the moving truck when she moved in with him in 2011. "There's this filing cabinet," says Mr. Hall, 34, a freelance artist who remembers her telling him: "That's just cords that I haven't sorted through."
For as long as consumer electronics have existed, people have had a hard time ditching the old cords to expired and outdated devices. The TV sets, computers, printers, camcorders, VCRs, DVD players, MiniDisc players, BlackBerrys and iPods that the cords belonged to may not even be in their owner's possession. But the cords survive, squirreled away in drawers and bags and boxes. They might be useful someday, people tell themselves, even if some cords' purposes are lost to history. Henry Hall, of Bradenton, Fla., recalls going through his girlfriend's stuff after it came off the moving truck when she moved in with him in 2011. "There's this filing cabinet," says Mr. Hall, 34, a freelance artist who remembers her telling him: "That's just cords that I haven't sorted through."
OK .. (Score:5, Insightful)
what the heck are we supposed to do with them (Score:2)
Yep. Several boxes. And power supplies.
The article doesn't say, though: what the heck are we supposed to do with them?
Re:what the heck are we supposed to do with them (Score:5, Insightful)
The problem is that 10-20% of the cords are what I use, the other not, but I can't tell which of the 10 to 20% percent that actually are useful in the future.
And if I junk them - then I definitely would need ALL of them.
Re: (Score:2)
If you junk them you'll be called a visionary when everything goes wireless in the future. ;o)
Re: (Score:2)
The problem is that 10-20% of the cords are what I use, the other not, but I can't tell which of the 10 to 20% percent that actually are useful in the future.
And if I junk them - then I definitely would need ALL of them.
A perfect example of "hoarder mentality". My Mother-In-Law has the same issue with newspapers, magazines etc. I have even demonstrated how easy it is to find articles on the web. She still hoards. Every 6 months or so we storm the place and clear it out, before she hurts herself.
Re:what the heck are we supposed to do with them (Score:5, Interesting)
"A perfect example of "hoarder mentality"
Not really... I keep at least 1 of every cord or power supply because I MIGHT need them.
I trash the rest. I have a few network cables, a few ps power cables, a few monitor cables (vga, hdmi, displayport, etc), a few serial cables, 1 parallel, various audio/video cables, etc...
Neighbor knocked on my door before new years trying to get his old karaoke machine (I didn't judge him, so you shouldn't either) hooked to his brand new ultra thin 80 in. TV. He had no HDMI out, no sdif, just standard video+RCA. The TV *DID* support that -- but it was with an increasling hard to find outside of amazon or mail order 3mm -> 3 RCA (R,L,Video) jack. Which I had.
Earned some extra "good neighbor" points that day.
I've got a various power bricks. the "brick" to my cable modem died. I clipped the jack off the dead one, found the correct voltage/amp I had, soldered the jack from the cable modem and I was back up in 20 mins. No "wait until the mail comes in a day or two" or actually REPLACING the entire modem with something new ($$$).
It works. So long as you don't end up with a giant box moving box full of nothing but PC power cables and 20 other boxes full of the similarly stored duplicats of stuff you'll NEVER need that much of...
Re: (Score:3)
I agree with your statement.
I would love if these companies didn't think they were special snowflakes and had a standard. so we could get rid of cords without finding that it was the only cord that worked on that device.
Re: (Score:3)
I have a box of cables, and I definitely need to throw them out. Following the Swedish death cleaning rules of, "would anyone I know want this?" the answer to much of what I stash away is "no".
But yeah. I'm feeling you on this one. I don't like to go into my mother's house at all, because it's so bad. Unfortunately there is some valuable stuff mixed in there, so it all needs to be sorted through carefully. :(
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3)
Give them to the recycling company (or scrap metal place) who will bung them in a shredder to chop them into tiny pieces, then pass them onto a granulator that will split the pieces into separatable parts, then onto a separator table that sends the useful copper metal to one bin and the plastic to another.
https://cablerecycling.com/abo... [cablerecycling.com]
A slightly interesting video of one of their machines in action. If you're in Canterbury (UK) they will even buy the cable off you.
Re: (Score:3)
I have plastic trays where I've *organized* cords I will never use again. I may, one day soon, clear out the draw of KVM coords that use old VGA connectors and PS2 Keyboard/Mouse plugs.
Re:OK .. (Score:5, Informative)
A couple of years ago, I purged a lot of extra cables. Among these cables were: parallel printer, serial, null modem, USB, VGA, DVI, Floppy and ATA ribbons
I have actually needed to buy some of those cables again because I threw them out thinking "When the hell am I ever going to need one of these again?"
Re:OK .. (Score:5, Insightful)
I notice you kept the SCSI cables then. Very wise.
Re:OK .. (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3)
I thought I was the only one saving GPIB cables ...
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I notice you kept the SCSI cables then. Very wise.
Dude! DB, Centronics, 50 pin, 68 pin, ect. I even have the HDI30 for old Mac laptops. I collect old Mac stuff. Someday, somebody is going to be distraught because all these old files they need are on a Jazz drive, and I'm going to swoop in to save the day!
Re: (Score:2)
I did that and regretted it. 6 months after tossing them I ramped-up my Arduino hobby. I needed 6 feet cables with bundles of 10-20 wires in them. I wound-up buying VGA and parallel cables and connectors on ebay. :-(
Re: (Score:3)
... this really isn't anything new. People (including me) have hauled around crap because they "might need it" forever.
The last time I threw away something I "didn't need" (moving from a rental house to our current house) I ended up having to use 2 blocks of wood to support the bedframe of the guest bed because I threw away the feet (the bed was disassembled and stored in the garage of the rental house) and the model wasn't being made any more. I learned my lesson.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
I have a drawer full of various cords that are always coming in handy. Whether I need something from it or I'm giving cords to others, I'm glad I have them.
The people in the story are just stupid.
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Same, I even keep a bag with one or two of each kind of cord bagged up. They are forever coming in handy and saving me from buying a cable.
Though, somehow, I was out of phone cables the other day. Don't even ask me how, I can't believe I had to buy one (hobby project w/ a C128).
makerspace (Score:2)
Exactly. If your box is that much of a burden, contact a makerspace and see if they want it.
Personally, I routinely accumulate "broken" boards and cords. I hardly ever purchase wire anymore. Once in a while I find the perfect component for a project (usually a repurposed power supply).
Just don't become a hoarder. I do a midsummer purge---it all must fit in the two file boxes. The rest gets sent to a local makerspace or recycled (mostly recycled).
Getting better (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Those cables seem to be useless only because you didn't keep the manuals and CDs that came with the device (or printed out). My problem is, when do I move the manual from the bookshelf to the box of old manuals.
Re: (Score:2)
USB cables and chargers (Score:2)
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true, but there will be a scrap metal place that'll take them if they have the equipment that can extract the copper from the plastic. Its not hard, but I don't think many places know it can be done.
https://cablerecycling.com/ [cablerecycling.com] will buy your cables to recycle, so there's enough money in scrap metal to pay you to take them off your hands!
Admit it? (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm proud of it. It's not about keeping cords we don't need. It's keeping cords we might need. For example, just because I don't have a land line now doesn't mean I'm guaranteed to never need a cord with RJ11 connectors ever again. Same for parallel printer cables. Heck, just last week a friend needed a mini-usb cable, something I haven't needed in a decade or more. But I had 1.
I have gone through my collection and done some culling. For most cable types not in active use I only have 2 specimens. But I am currently in the process of going through my basement and giving away/recycling/throwing away things I don't need, and the box of cords and cables is one of the things that is staying.
Re: (Score:2)
This is what I do, and I focus on getting rid of the cheaper cords where I have duplicates. A lot of the cords, especially USB, just seem to get thinner and thinner. They end up with broken wires because they're made so cheaply. I actually end up keeping "quality" cables that I know I'll probably never need simply because they're well made.
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Mini-USB are useful. PS3 controllers use that. And an annoying number of external HDD cases used to use them, before they went to Micro-USB 3 (the worserestest ever connector) prior to going USB C.
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About a year ago I threw away my right-angled kettle leads on the basis that I'd not needed to use any of them for over 5 years.
I recently bought a new TV bench and because it has a back panel (which the old one didn't), the power cord forces the box to hang over the front by about an inch.
The solution is, of course, to have a right-angled kettle lead...
Yes and no (Score:2)
I don't dare throw it out (Score:2)
You know how hard it would be to replace a 25 foot printer cable?
Re: (Score:2)
You know how hard it would be to replace a 25 foot printer cable?
https://www.amazon.com/Printer... [amazon.com]
https://www.amazon.com/IEEE-12... [amazon.com]
Of course, it would be much easier to not have a printer 25 feet from your desk. If you really needed to, you could also achieve that 25 foot distance with a new printer that understood wifi.
Re: (Score:2)
Well then I'd have to add wifi to my desktop.
[John]
Re: (Score:2)
don't you already have an internet router that has wifi? desktop wired to router, printer wifi connected to router, desktop can thus print "wirelessly" as both are on the same network.
Its how I do it. These days the printer manufacturers provide a cloud service, so you can print by emailing your printer a document or image!
Re: (Score:2)
The trick is to organize (Score:3)
Bag each cable, optionally label it. Either write a full database, or at least write one text file per box, and keep it updated.
Need a cable? Check the database/text files before you buy.
Barcode labels work pretty well for this. RFID would be even better, but there are some complications that make DIY unusually annoying.
Re: (Score:2)
Bag each cable, optionally label it. Either write a full database, or at least write one text file per box, and keep it updated.
Need a cable? Check the database/text files before you buy.
Barcode labels work pretty well for this. RFID would be even better, but there are some complications that make DIY unusually annoying.
Oh yeah, all that work to organize shit that I already don't need sure sounds like a lot of fun.
I have an easier way. Just throw all of it out without putting anymore thought into it.
Re: The trick is to organize (Score:3)
I have an ever better way: keep the cords and don't think about it until you need one.
Re: (Score:2)
I do bag the ones that seem basically current and those are in my desk drawer. The box has a giant collection of other cables including some mass of network cables I've created over the years for various reasons.
But I have a bunch of boxes of other miscellaneous stuff that I need to go through. I did that with my financial records last year dropping it down from two boxes of everything I ever bought to one wide drawer full of bumper stickers and funny papers.
[John]
Re: (Score:3)
Yes it is shameful (Score:2)
I have several boxes of power cords, extensions, power bars, wall warts, Ethernet cables, serial cables, VGA cables, S-video cables, RCA cables, 75 ohm coax, printer cables, and various bits of headphone cable and lengths of power wires.
I haven't used any of them in decades, but I can feel that I might need one any time soon now.
I have boxes and boxes of cords and adapters (Score:2)
For some reason, I need to replace MicroUSB charging cables about every 6 months, they just stop working. When they fail, I toss them.
I have a variety of S-video cables and switches which still work fine when I plug old consoles into my TV.
Optical cables, HDMI cables, RCA cables, Power Cables, Ethernet Cables, Serial Cables, Parallel cables (which I should dump)
Re: (Score:2)
For some reason, I need to replace MicroUSB charging cables about every 6 months, they just stop working.
The reason is that those little prong things are spring loaded, but not for long.
USB type C solved this years ago.
Re: I have boxes and boxes of cords and adapters (Score:3)
I have to replace USB C cables every few months because every brand I buy gets frayed where the cord goes into the end piece. This is especially bad in my car where the cable gets twisted up regularly.
Only once have I had a micro USB cable go bad, and it was because the end got bent.
USB C didn't solve shit.
I admit it (Score:2)
I get rid of them every 2 years (Score:2)
I go through mine and keep one extra of what I may need. Anything else I drop off at the Salvation Army they can sell them
Nope. (Score:2)
20-30 cords? (Score:2)
I thinned out my box of spare cables by about 90% when we packed up for moving last year. But 20-30 cables? That's nothing. I'm sure I have at least twice that left, meaning I started with a few hundred. Got rid of all telephone/fax cables, of all types. CAT-5 network cables. Parallel printer cables. Old-style keyboard/mouse cables. Cable TV coax. The last VGA cables. I may have kept one DVI cable "just in case".
What's left? Different types of video cables (do we really need HDMI, DisplayPort, and all the v
ENVIRONMENTAL WASTE that is SCSI cables (Score:2)
frankly the sooner USB C / thunderbolt cables remove all the other junk the better for the planet
under EU rules the manufacturer has to recycle them... all the countries should have the same i.e. the price that you buy things at includes the cost to recycle it
My dad just died (Score:3)
Re:My dad just died (Score:4, Funny)
First rule of engineering (Score:3)
If you have a cable that you know works, guard it with your life.
Nonsense. (Score:2)
I have a box mostly full of cords I will never use, plus a few I will be thankful I kept. Given that I don't necessarily know in advance which is which, and given that it really doesn't take very much space, this seems an eminently rational thing to do.
Admit it... Belkin paid for that article (Score:4, Insightful)
Profits must be down at Belkin, and they need people to throw out their old cables to prevent friends and family from poaching their "legacy" cable market. How else are they going to keep those coax cable and mini USB cable assembly lines in China running?
Always keep one (Score:2)
This isn't entirely true (Score:2)
I have a box of wall warts, and a box of USB cables and a box of audio cables and a box of misc cables (mostly video related cables or power cables).
I generally try to adhere to the "if I didn't use it in six months, I'm never going to use it" rule, but that doesn't apply to these boxes and I'm greatful for it. I have a lot of USB audio/midi gear, I spend a lot of time tinkering with microcontrollers and other electronics projects, sometimes new computer hardware comes in that forces me to re-arrange my des
A box? (Score:2)
alternate supply for old cords (Score:2)
If you finally throw the dang things away and find you need one, you can often find an old cord or adapter at places like the Goodwill, Salvation Army or Value Village where tey sell all them things that some people donate rather than throw in the garbage or recycling. I've picked up replacement power adapters for routers and other cheap replacements in such places.
Take away, don't throw the old cable out, donate it to a thrift market type operation.
Why would I get rid of them? (Score:3)
Only keep one or two... (Score:3)
I have a pile of cables, two boxes full of them. I manage the sprawl by sorting through them and asking myself a few questions:
1. Is this cable/device still in general use today?
2. How many of these do I have?
3. How many of these could I possibly need?
4. Are they readily available or unique?
I generally keep one example of most things. I do toss unique stuff that is for devices that are no longer made or I'm SURE I'm never going to use. For example:
SCSI cables - Toss - I don't own any SCSI drives anymore so that stuff got trashed.
USB-Mini - Keep a few - This cable isn't generally used on new stuff, but a lot of existing stuff that I have still uses it.
Weird Wall Wart - Toss - It was for charging the Fitbit that we don't have anymore and is not sold.
SATA Drive Cables - Keep - those things are popular and easily broken.
12 V Wall Wart - Keep a few - EVERYTHING uses 12v these days...
So I go through the two boxes on a regular basis to sort though the available cables, toss the obsolete stuff and pare down the rest to what fits in the space.
I have a computer graveyard (Score:2)
Not needed until they are (Score:2)
Some relative rocks up with some desktop or laptop that should be in a museum and says "I need this to do something because Tax Return/last chance of locating old file/I need to drive some port on some other thing".
That's why we keep these things - for unpaid tech support work.
but - maybe - (Score:2)
(small voice) centronics might come back
Re: (Score:2)
Or Boy George token ring cables.
Admit It: ... (Score:2)
Self Plug! Recent find. (Score:2)
I just made a post and video [minds.com]about a box of junk from my parents house with one of the most interesting/mystifying cables I've come across, especially why they chose to do the FireWire portion they way they did.
Re: (Score:2)
More on topic:
I now refuse to buy equipment that uses non-standard cables. That's part of why Apple phones are no longer on the menu (I did have a 3GS back in the day). Industrial/professional equipment where you build your own, based on available connectors I might make an exception for, but not a personal gizmo/gadget. I'm even getting there when it comes to power, not just data.
I used to demand one of several USB or FireWire connectors, but of course I no longer consider FireWire unless it's a cool us
IEEE-488 cables! (Score:2)
n/t
Re: (Score:2)
Found some Ethernet AUI cables. And transceivers (both 10BaseT and 10Base2).
Extension to that theorem. cant find what you need (Score:2)
I have a whole lot of them. Component video with five leads on either end, AV, 1/8" to red+white, 3/8" to 1/8" adapters .... tons and tons of them.
The new TV set does not use any of them. There is an optical cable in that mess of cables I have in that cardboard box. If I can find that I can feed my new TV audio out to that ancient receiver with amazing sound and speakers all wired up wit
I used an old cord this week. (Score:2)
Honestly, most cords are fairly compatible.
old 3 prong computer power cords still work for new computers
Ethernet cables still work
microphone and speaker cords still work
USB and firewire still work.
Yeah, stuff from 20 years ago does not work, but things from the past ten years are still useful.
Nope (Score:2)
Boxes of cords aren't a problem for me.
Wicker basket full of cords is a different problem...
yeah, I do! (Score:2)
I MIGHT Use Them Again! (Score:2)
Yes, I do! (Score:2)
Off-topic to msmash. Why the fuck would you link a stupid story to a paywalled article?
Cords aren't the only thing (Score:2)
Remotes to devices that no longer exist.
Exercise equipment that no one has ever used more than once.
Buttons to suits I no longer own.
Specialized wrenches to tools that I don't have anymore.
I have a dresser with drawers for nothing but this stuff, but I actually make a lot of use of it. I'm constantly hacking something together. For instance, an old parallel cable was just what I needed for my EMC-2 router build.
They're Useful (Score:2)
Retro computing (Score:2)
Amateurs... (Score:4, Interesting)
Because I'm 30 years old and I've already got about multiple cupboards full of cables (ethernet, USB, FireWire, HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort, etc.), working but not-in-use gadgets (tablet, an iPod, a bunch of smartphones, etc.), unused optical discs with internal and external drives, electronics components and leftover bits from electronics projects.
At the moment I've got no idea what I'll ever use an external drive box for IDE drives, a Dreamcast GDROM drive or a old SATA drives for. But my still very much in-control hoarding has allowed me to help out friends at no cost and fix a bunch of problems without needing to go out and buy something. All of it is just stuff I've decided not to throw out after it's original usefulness has run out so it neither costs me anything (even the cupboards are in a byro I got for free) and it reduces my eWaste output.
Inertia, really, I think (Score:3)
I'm convinced that most of the useless stuff I have is kept simply because it's been there for a while. This is especially the case when it's not really in the way I only have to interact with it infrequently. Largely an "out of sight, out of mind" thing. And then when I notice something that I probalby don't need, it gets filed under "meh. I'll deal with it later." Of course, you all know when "later" is. Eventually, it gets to the point of "it's just the stuff I have" and no further thought.
Often, I think the "I might need this some day" is a rationalization for laziness that eventually becomes a way of life.
I'm keeping them ALL (Score:4, Funny)
You never know when you'll need a VGA adapter cable for an old Sun 21" CRT monitor. External, differential SCSI3 cable? Good luck finding one of those when you need it. 9-pin to 25-pin serial? S-video? Every variation of USB. BNC/Co-ax monitor cables! I've got them all! Never get rid of those cables.
Charity store (Score:5, Informative)
I was looking for a cable. Didn't find it in my cable box. Went to the local Goodwill charity store where they had a cable drawer like mine, only it was HUGE and sorted and very cheap.
When Goodwill has a better cable junk drawer than me, I knew it was time to donate mine.
Re: (Score:2)
I don't think SCSI is coming back.
SCSI 4 Life (Score:3)
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Probably not, but wire will be here for a while.
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Neither are those scart cables...
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But will never use? I pulled a spare hdmi cord out and use it right now. I have extra phone charging cords in there. Extra power cords. Now I have some older cords I am sure I will never use, but to say all of the cords in the box will never use. Naaa, that box of cords still has purpose.
I guess the question is how much would something cost to replace, and what is it costing you (not just in money, but in space and aggravation) to keep all that stuff.
I have my share of cord bins, but I wonder if the few that I will ever pull out and use are really worth the space they all take up (remember, I'm storing way more than I will actually ever use), the loss of the more pleasant uncluttered space that I am forgoing, etc.
I mean how much is it to just buy an HDMI cable?
$100/square foot + hassle and clutter (Score:2)
Of course we nerds have uses for assorted cords arw other stuff that are just junk for non-nerds. Still, you bring up an interesting point:
> I guess the question is how much would something cost to replace,
> and what is it costing you (not just in money, but in space and aggravation) to keep all that stuff.
Houses in my area go for about $110/sq foot. Rent in in Dallas averages $20/foot per year. The value of an uncluttered home is maybe about that much, so total value $40 / year / sq foot. That's
Re: (Score:2)
I was going to say... first it's a drawer not a box and second that was probably true prior to the cell phone now that old charger comes in handy since they are fairly standard.
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While you can still purchase a SCSI HD68 to CN50 cable i feel better knowing that i have one at hand. And a HD68 to VHDCI and to HD50, DB25 ... and all the required HVD & LVD terminators ...
I did went trough all of them and only kept one of each - enough to be to rescue any old Unix server.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: Baggage (Score:2)
I think if things stored in your closet are taking up mental space, then there's probably an underlying condition and medicine for that.
Re: (Score:2)
That's behind my recommendation:
If you can readily buy another one* for that distant Maybe that nags you, you can safely throw it out, consider the price as some kind of rental/storage fee, granting freedom of mind
*not just cables
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Is that you, Marie Kondo?
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non-tech people have a drawer full of cell phone/tablet chargers, hdmi, and av cables and since they are all fairly standard, they are useful... prior to the cell phone it may have been true that you would never use them.
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Non-tech people still have the charger for their candy bar Nokia phone. And don't know what it is, so they keep it just in case.
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If I can get her to move, my sister and I (both retired and should be downsizing) will sell our place in the city and buy a bigger place in the suburbs so we have more room to sort the junk we've got and collect more. :-)
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I have at least half a dozen AUI cables and 10base5 transceivers, just in case. The chance of these ever being useful is incredibly low. Also at least a dozen SCSI cables with different combinations of connectors.
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you'll have to take them to a scrap metal place that can recycle them - but the good newss is that scrap copper is so valuable, they will pay you to take them off your hands.