The rapid depletion of high-gradeGrade copperCopper resources suggests that future copperCopper suppliesSupply will likely rely more on low-gradeGrade ores, tailings, and other unconventional resources. This paper presents a series of extractionExtraction studies focused on a complex low-gradeGrade copperCopper tailing, aiming to develop effective methods for improving copperCopper mineral recoveryRecovery and upgrading. Specifically, the study compares the efficacy of atmospheric leachingAtmospheric leaching and resin-in-moist-mix methods to investigate the copper leachingCopper leaching behaviour from flotationFlotation tailings. These methods were assessed as part of an integrated process designed to valorise waste products by extracting valuable metalsMetal, such as copperCopper. LeachingLeaching experiments were conducted under various conditions, using diluted sulfuric acidSulfuric acid (H2SO4) as the primary lixiviant in both atmospheric and resin-in-moist-mix processes. The study evaluated the effects of different leachingLeaching parameters, including acid strength, solid loading, and time, on copper recoveryCopper recovery. Additionally, the impact of resin volume on the performancePerformance of the resin-in-moist-mix method was also considered. Results revealed that, at acid strengths of 1 M and 3 M, copper recoveryCopper recovery for atmospheric leachingAtmospheric leaching increased from 55 to 60%, respectively. In contrast, copper recoveryCopper recovery in the resin-in-moist-mix method decreased from 94 to 78% at the same acid concentrations. The effect of solid loading was significant in both methods. As solid loading increased from 30 to 40%, copper recoveryCopper recovery decreased in both cases. Atmospheric leachingAtmospheric leaching saw a reduction from 72 to 67%, while resin-in-moist-mix recoveryRecovery dropped from 73 to 69%. Overall, the resin-in-moist-mix method demonstrated superior copper recoveryCopper recovery across all tested conditions. The maximum recoveryRecovery achieved by this method was 94%, compared to 72% with atmospheric leachingAtmospheric leaching. This higher recoveryRecovery is attributed to the resin’s increased capacity to capture copperCopper ions in the pulp, which might otherwise go uncollected in the atmospheric leachingAtmospheric leaching process. These findings underscore the resin-in-moist-mix method’s potential for efficiently recovering copperCopper from low-gradeGrade resources, providing a valuable alternative as high-gradeGrade copperCopper suppliesSupply continue to decline.