November 2011

In this issue:

Using maths to boost aluminium recycling Using mathematical models, research scientists and industrialists are working on tailoring alloys which will increase the usefulness of recycled alumi... more Supply still low as prices slideConsiderable value has been sucked out of recovered paper over the course of October and early November as consuming mills struggle to find orders. Th... more Buyers focus on the near termIn October, the European non-ferrous metals markets remained in the doldrums amid concern over the deep financial problems in some EU countries. Altho... more Disappointment at reluctant market Compared to our previous report, 304 and 316 prices have made some forward progress - the former from US$ 1750-1800 to 1920-1970 per tonne and the lat... more Scrap suffers as steel sales slowFerrous scrap caught the bug afflicting many other recyclables in October, with prices declining typically by around US$ 30 per tonne since our previo... more Extraction boon for the smaller recycler A two-year project funded by the EU’s LIFE+ programme has culminated in a mobile unit for the extraction of various valuable precious, rare earth an... more Nickel: study alleges scrap data vacuum A report commissioned by leading commodities trading group Oryx Stainless - entitled ‘The nickel market: playing field of speculators or driven by f... more E-waste in the USA: on a learning curve A recent study conducted on behalf of the US Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries calculates that, in America alone, the economic impact of the ind... more BIR Plastics Round-Table | Recycling - a US$ 500 billion industry? In the September issue of Recycling International, we reported on a study funded by the US Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) which conclu... more BIR Textiles Round-Table | ‘Unauthorised’ collectors turn the supply screw Europe’s long-established textiles recyclers are facing something of a double-whammy at present: not only are originals difficult and expensive to o... more Confidence dampened by China factor Finished paper and board products have become more difficult to sell and market sentiment has dropped to ‘very low’ levels, resulting in a signifi... more The ‘curse’ of theft and fraud While there is some relief that non-ferrous prices have proved themselves reasonably robust during this most recent economic downturn, it was emphasis... more Stainless Steel & Special Alloys | Primary production to compete with scrap For 2011, global production of stainless steel is set to fall approaching 10% short of previous projections following the return of a cloudy business ... more BIR Ferrous Round-Table | Some gloom - but no sense of doom Steel, iron ore and ferrous scrap prices have all suffered negative side-effects from the latest dose of global economic gloom. However, steel product... more ‘Paradigm shift’ in favour of recycling Given the extreme financial and economic churn taking place worldwide, it would have been unreasonable for delegates to expect absolutes to emerge fro... more Quote-Unquote I love quotations, from the well-known ones such as ‘A dirty mind is a joy forever’, to the obscure ones like, for instance, ‘All power corrupts... more