1. Manual peeling method: This method adopts manual peeling, which has low efficiency, high cost and poor operating environment for workers;
2. Incineration: Incineration is a traditional method, which incinerates the plastic sheath of waste cables and then recovers the copper, but the smoke pollution is extremely serious. At the same time, the surface oxidation of copper wire is serious during incineration, which reduces the metal recovery rate. This method has been strictly prohibited by governments all over the world;
3. Mechanical peeling method: the cable peeling machine still needs manual operation, which is semi-mechanized, with high labor intensity and low efficiency, and is only suitable for processing large-diameter cables;
4. Chemical method: The technology of treating waste cables by chemical method was put forward in 1990s, and some countries and China conducted research during the Eighth Five-Year Plan period. One of the biggest disadvantages of this method is that the waste liquid cannot be treated and has a great impact on the environment, so it is rarely used;
5. Freezing method: This method was also put forward in 1990s. It uses liquid nitrogen as refrigerant, which makes the waste cable brittle at extremely low temperature, and then separates the plastic sheath from the copper wire through crushing and vibration. China also started research during the Eighth Five-Year Plan period, but this method has the disadvantage of high cost and difficult industrial production.