Modernising Morocco's networks — fibre optics, then 4G and 5G, and the renewal of radio sites — generates large volumes of metal every year: removed towers and masts, copper cables replaced by fibre, retired cabinets and shelters, backup batteries, cable trays and antenna structures. For operators, installers and their subcontractors, this end-of-life equipment is a stock to be managed, not a burden to be endured.
Telecom has its own constraints: sites scattered across the whole country, equipment up high or on rooftops, work that must never cut a live service, and components — batteries, cables, electronic boards — that belong to different channels. This guide reviews the stocks, the sorting and the organisation of collections at telecom sites.
The metal stocks of telecom sites
The first stock is structure: galvanised-steel lattice towers, tubular masts, antenna supports, platforms, guardrails, ladders and cable trays. A single removed tower represents several tonnes of steel, provided it is dismantled cleanly, section by section, by teams trained to work at height.
The second stock is the network itself: copper cables — telephone pairs, coaxial cables, site power cables — whose copper is recovered after stripping in the proper channel, never by burning insulation, a prohibited and toxic practice. Add metal cabinets and shelters, racks and bays, shelter air conditioners (copper and aluminium) and retired generator sets. Our guide to electrical cable recovery details best practice for copper.
Batteries, electronic boards and active equipment: do not mix everything
Telecom sites concentrate regulated streams that must never go into the scrap skip. Lead backup batteries — heavy, and numerous at every site — belong to the used-battery channel, stored upright, sheltered and leak-free. Our article on used battery recycling explains the precautions to take.
Active equipment — electronic boards, power supplies, inverters, radio modules — contains metals, but also components to be treated through the WEEE channel. It is collected separately, without wild dismantling, to preserve traceability. Separating these three streams at the site — structural steel, cabling copper, regulated streams — simplifies collection and avoids mixtures that devalue the whole lot.
Tower dismantling and work on a live site
Taking down a tower or mast is not a simple cutting job: it is work at height, with a dismantling plan, marked drop zones and equipped teams. The basic rule: never dismantle a tower that still carries live equipment, and coordinate the work with the site operator to secure neighbouring antennas.
For rooftop sites or dense urban areas, plan access — crane or lifting equipment, road authorisation if needed — and a slot that disturbs neither neighbours nor operations. Lowered sections are sorted on the ground: galvanised steel on one side, bolts and small parts on the other, cables and antennas apart. Clean dismantling also means a lot that is easier to load and weigh.
Copper cables: stripping, storage and site security
Removed copper cables are a well-known theft target: store them in a closed area, under surveillance, and never leave them lying loose on an isolated site. Stripping is done in a workshop or in the proper channel, never by open-air burning: burning insulation releases toxic fumes and oxidises the copper, which sharply devalues it.
On copper-to-fibre migration projects, organise removal by documented sections: cable type, approximate length, site of origin. This traceability protects the operator in case of inspection and makes it easier to consolidate lots across several sites in the same region — one grouped collection for ten small sites costs less in logistics than ten separate visits.
Organising multi-site collections across Morocco
Geographical spread is the real logistics cost in telecom: an isolated mountain site is not managed like ten urban shelters. Best practice is to group collections by region — Casablanca-Settat, Rabat-Kenitra, Tangier-Tetouan, Marrakech, Agadir — and to set up regional consolidation points where subcontractors drop their lots between rounds.
MOUMETAL adapts to this organisation: single-site collections or multi-site rounds, with a collection note per site to keep traceability by asset. For operators renewing a whole fleet, a removal schedule spread over several weeks, aligned with fibre or 5G rollout, clears volumes gradually without saturating technical rooms.
Safety and compliance: the rules to follow on site
Working on a telecom site means working at height, near live equipment and sometimes in an isolated area. The basic rules are non-negotiable: electrical authorisation for cabinet work, personal protective equipment for work at height, marked drop zones during dismantling, and a strict ban on working alone on an isolated site without an alert procedure. Every job is covered by a prevention plan signed with the site operator.
Environmental compliance follows the same logic: refrigerant fluids recovered before dismantling, batteries stored leak-free, cables never burned, and collection notes kept for every site. These rules protect your teams and your liability as an operator or subcontractor — and they guarantee that every collected lot can genuinely enter its recycling channel.
FAQ — Telecom scrap metal
Can a tower carrying live antennas be dismantled? No: dismantling is coordinated with the site operator, once live equipment has been transferred or taken out of service. The safety of workers and continuity of service come first.
Should cables be burned to recover copper? Never: burning is prohibited and toxic, and it devalues copper. Cables are handed over with their insulation and stripped in the proper channel.
What should be done with site backup batteries? Store them upright, sheltered and leak-free, then send them to the used-battery channel. They must never join the scrap skip.
How can telecom sites scattered across Morocco be managed? By grouping collections by geographical region and setting up regional consolidation points, with a collection note per site for traceability.
Is network electronic equipment recovered like scrap metal? No: boards, power supplies and radio modules belong to the WEEE channel. They are collected separately, without wild dismantling.
Recover your telecom equipment with MOUMETAL
Operators, installers, telecom subcontractors: MOUMETAL collects and recovers your network metals in Morocco, from the removed tower to the copper cable, with multi-site rounds and traceability per site. To go further, read our cable recovery guide and our scrap buy-back page. Contact us: +212 660 690 806 — contact@moumetal.com.