it all depends on the grade.my family/ friends own many big yards.have done for many many years.
copper is upto about £3500/4000 per ton for top stuff.prices fall for all metals as you probably know.was upto about 5000 not long ago.
so actual good cable you can get good money for unprocessed.they will then either strip it with machines or by hand even with a stanley knife.sounds stupid but good wire you can do it as fast as a machine if you good
or smaller wire you can process it where they cut it into fine niblets and then chemicals.
you work out the rough percentage of waste for copper.
alley like copper various different grades.different prices.
cans what they do is you take them in you have a machine that squashes them down into cubes / blocks.
so say someone brings in what would be a ton of bright wire unstripped you could give them upto half for it as it is. i on my own could strip that in a day.would you do a days work for £1000 - £1500 ? many would.