Europe’s recycled aluminium industry is an important component of the global secondary aluminium supply chain, with Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom (UK) representing key national markets. Production across the European region stood at nearly 6 million tonnes in 2023, supported by established scrap recovery systems, industrial recycling capacity and demand for recycled metal. Russia also contributes to the regional landscape through secondary aluminium production units concentrated in several industrial centres. According to AL Circle’s analysis in its report, “ World Recycled ALuminium Market Analysis Industry Forecast ”, the four countries present different market structures, from Germany’s substantial recycling capacity and Italy’s scrap-based production to the UK’s organised...
According to SMM survey statistics, the operating rate of the secondary aluminium alloy industry in September was 35.0 per cent, up 3.1 percentage points M-o-M but down 6.7 percentage points Y-o-Y. Industry production continued its recovery trend, but the overall operating level remained below the same period last year. On the demand side, September marked the traditional peak consumption season, with downstream orders recovering from August. End-use demand from automobiles and other sectors improved marginally, but the peak season effect has yet to fully materialise. According to CAAM data, automobile production in September was 2.99 million units, up 11.4 per cent M-o-M but down 8.7 per cent Y-o-Y. NEV production was 1.814 million units, up 12.2 per cent Y-o-Y. CAAM noted that China's...
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According to the data from China Customs, in the month of August, China's imports of aluminium scrap rose 7.4% YoY and stayed almost flat month on month to stand at 141,000 tonnes. This is the first month after the implementation of import quota on high-grade aluminium scrap in China. Imports were high in August as the volume import quotas from July to September for the so-called Category Six aluminium scrap of higher Al grades matched the realised imports during the same period of 2018. Import was further boosted by the price advantage of overseas aluminium scrap over domestic scrap, which was higher because of tight environmental restrictions. China's imports of aluminium scrap may drop in September on rising concerns about lesser quota volumes to be granted for the fourth quarter 2019....
The Chinese government issued a new scrap metal import quota on 23rd September that approved a total of about 70,000 tonnes of copper, aluminium and ferrous scrap arrivals for Q4 2019. As reported by Argus Media, China Solid Waste and Chemicals Management approved a combined 66,368 tonnes of copper, aluminium and ferrous scrap for delivery to ports in south and southeast China. The quota for aluminium scrap, with tariff code 7602000090 stood at 32,940 tonnes. The aluminium scrap quota is for delivery to the ports of Ningbo, Nanhai and Nansha. The previous quotas were announced on 20 June, 10 July and 14 August. China issued the 11th batch of import quotas of 11,290 tonnes for newly restricted high-grade aluminium scrap on August 14 increasing the total volume of import quotas to 372,476...
Brazil imported 10,900 tonnes of aluminium scrap from the US in the first six months of 2019, from 6,700 tonnes imported in the first six months of 2018. This records an increase of 4,200 tonnes or 62.69% year-on-year, according to the latest Mineral Industry Survey report from the US Geological Survey. In June, aluminium scrap imports stood 6.63% lower than the same period last year. Imports from the US decreased from 1,660 tonnes in June 2018 to 1,550 tonnes in June 2019. Brazil’s imports of aluminium scrap from the US decreased12.92% from May’s import volume of 1,780 tonnes. Brazil’s imports of total aluminium including scrap from the US came in at 15,500 tonnes in the first half of 2019, 82.35% higher than the corresponding period of 2018. Brazil had exported 8,500 tonnes of aluminium...
Mexico’s aluminium scrap exports to the US in June 2019 outperformed the imports by about 5 per cent, found the United States Geological Survey. While the exports in the said duration pegged at 14,500 tonnes, the imports came in at 13,800 tonnes. {newsStudioGallery} Nonetheless, Mexico’s total aluminium scrap imports from January to June 2019 stood higher by about 14 per cent than the total amount of exports in the same period of time. The former stood at 93,100 tonnes, while the latter clocked at 81,800 tonnes. According to a report in August 2019, nonferrous metal scrap movements from the United States into Mexico had slowed down due to unstable Mexican economy. However, in May 2019, Mexico’s aluminium scrap imports from the US came in at 16,400 tonnes, up 8.6 per cent from 15, 100...
A proposed aluminium recycling plant in Wisconsin Rapids is likely to start construction soon after securing all the necessary permits. Matalco’s US$80 million aluminium recycling plant in Wisconsin Rapids got the preliminary approval for the land and the project from the city's Finance and Property Committee in March 2019. “All approvals from state and local agencies have been secured and the necessary permits have been issued to begin construction,” said Mayor Zach Vruwink. Matalco, Inc. announced in January 2019 that it would invest US$80 million to construct a manufacturing facility for secondary aluminium billet in the Rapids East Commerce Center. The company will employ 80 permanent, full-time workers in the 110,000 square feet plant with a capacity to produce 230 million pounds of...
The Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari reportedly said that he cleared a cabinet note on the proposed vehicle scrapping policy, while the finance ministry approved it. So, a final call should be taken on the policy soon, said the Union Minister, adding that it will be applicable on two and three-wheelers as well. The minister had earlier said that India could emerge as a hub for automobile manufacturing on implementation of this policy, as the key raw materials like steel and aluminium generated from scrapping would be recycled. This would also bring down the automobile prices by 20 per cent to 30 per cent India, said Mr. Gadkari. In May 2016, the government had floated a draft Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Programme (V-VMP) that proposed to take 28 million...
According to a new study conducted by John Dunham and Associates for the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) recycling industry continues to drive the American economy. Other than contributing environmental benefits, the sector provides 531,500 jobs and an overall economic impact of nearly US$110 billion. The industry generates US$4.94 billion in state and local taxes and US$7.96 billion federal taxes. “The recycling industry continues to power America’s manufacturing base, creating jobs, generating tax revenue, and proving valuable feedstock for new products,” said Joe Pickard, chief economist for ISRI. “In the U.S., we continue to process more material into valuable commodities, seventy per cent of which is used right here by American manufacturers. With the innovation and...
Shanghai Metals Market found secondary aluminium producers continued to increase their operations in August as downstream plants in north China restocked in advance on worries about environmental curbs before the Nation Day on October 1. Data shows that the operating rates in August increased to 54.46 per cent, up 1.18 percentage points from July and 3.34 percentage points from August 2018. Consumption of secondary aluminium picked up in late-August after the seasonal lull in May-July reduced inventories of both feedstock and finished products across secondary aluminium producers. As the latest import quotas for aluminium scrap barely shrank, ample supply of cheap overseas scrap also bolstered higher operation across secondary aluminium smelters that use seaborne materials as feedstock....
A report from the Aluminium Association and the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) showed early last week that aluminium cans outperformed other competitive packaging types and materials based on several sustainability metrics. The report - “The Aluminium Can Advantage: Key Sustainability Performance Indicators 2019” revealed that aluminium cans were recycled nearly double the rate of glass or plastic bottles. While the consumer recycling rates of plastic bottle came in at 29.2 per cent and glass bottle at 26.4 per cent, the recycling rates of aluminium cans stood at 49.8 per cent. The average recycled content for an aluminium can produced also rose from 70 per cent to 73 per cent in the United States, compared to 23 percent for glass and 3 percent for plastic. As a result, the value of...
Tomra Sorting Recycling, a Norwegian company that designs and supplies equipment for recycling, will launch its new X-TRACT X6 Fines machinery for high-purity sorting of mixed non-ferrous metal scraps, including aluminium during Aluminum USA. The new technology is capable of sorting smaller fractions with lesser material loss. Sensor and software enhancements allows X-TRACT X6 Fines to detect and sort metals nearly half the size of current standard of small fractions material. X-TRACT X6 Fines combines X-ray transmission (XRT) and Duoline technology, which uses two independent devices with different spectral sensitivities. TOMRA's innovative Dual Processing Technology distinguishes differences between overlapping objects on the sorting line. This is a significant advantage over other...
According to the data shared by US Geological survey, the United States’ aluminium scrap imports in the first six months of 2019 came in at 313,000 tonnes, down 10.31 per cent from 349,000 tonnes in the same period last year. Let us here analyse the monthly trend of the United States’ aluminium scrap imports throughout the first half of 2019 {newsStudioGallery} As per the data of US Geological survey, the country’s imports in June stood at 54,200 tonnes, after recording a decline of 3.38 per cent month-on-month. In May, the imports were at 56,100 tonnes, up 5.64 per cent from 53,100 tonnes in April. As the graph above shows the United States’ aluminium scrap imports in April were also higher than the previous month because in March the country’s import volume was at 51,400 tonnes, which...
Florida-based Alliance Metals, which applied for the permit for an aluminium recycling plant in a farming town in Wenden, Arizona in April 2019, faced with oppositions from local communities. In a public hearing, residents urged environmental regulators not to sign off on the project. Homeowners and local business people urged officials from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality not to grant an air-quality permit for the proposed Alliance Metals plant in Wenden in order to save the communities from pollution. They said the plant will be dangerously close to residential areas and also to an elementary school. The facility is planning to take in scrap aluminium, crush and melt down the metal, and remelt it into making secondary aluminium ingots. The company plans to supply the...
East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s waste and recycling team is reportedly launching the MetalMatters campaign on Thursday, September 5. The aim of the campaign, managed by Alupro, is to encourage residents to place the metal packaging items in blue bins so that they can be recycled. The items that are allowed in this scheme include food tins, drink cans, foil trays, foil, empty aerosols, metal screw tops, and biscuit and sweet tins. In the trial period last year, around 40,000 residents in the Goole, Howden, Pocklington and Market Weighton areas had taken part. Their support led to a 22-tonnes increase in metal packaging collected in blue bins in that area in the first six months of the trial period, which was equivalent of almost 1.5 million empty drink cans. The amount of aluminium...
Domestic aluminium producers are working together with planning think-tank Niti Aayog and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to determine standards for scrap usage. This was done at the background of exponentially growing aluminium scrap imports and random applications of scrap. Aluminium scrap imports to India are growing at a never before rate in 2019 fuelled by US-China trade tensions. A benign import duty of 2.5 per cent has not been able to offer enough support to domestic producers. With European Union (EU) opting for strict circular economy norms and China restricting its scrap imports rules, more aluminium scrap is getting diverted to the Indian markets and other south Asian countries. “Scrap imports in this fiscal have moved up eight per cent during the June quarter. While the hike...
After rising incessantly in the last three years, Saudi Arabia’s aluminium scrap export is estimated to reduce in 2019 by about 17 per cent to 142,128 tonnes, compared to 171,488 tonnes in 2018, found the global export-import data. The data also shows that Saudi Arabia’s aluminium scrap export to India is likely to stand lower as well than the previous year by about 43 per cent to 73,800 tonnes. {newsStudioGallery} As the above graph shows, until 2018, Saudi Arabia recorded year-on-year rises in aluminium scrap export. In 2018, the country’s total amount of export came in at 171,488 tonnes after a growth of 10 per cent from 156,499 tonnes in 2017, while its export to India saw a sweeping rise of 95 per cent to 130,048 tonnes. But in 2017, the export amount to India saw an estimated dip of...
Birmingham City Council has revealed that it sent over half of its aluminium abroad to be recycled last year. As per the report, 280 tonnes out of 529 tonnes of aluminium were sent to Germany, while the remaining 249 tonnes were sent to facilities within the United Kingdom. Glass, plastics and other metals were also sent outside of the city to be recycled, published the Council on a special request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service. The only recycling collected in Birmingham and processed within the city was paper and cardboard, like happened in the previous three years. Figures revealed by the Birmingham City Council also indicated that recycling collected by the council had been decreasing over the years. In 2016, 1068 tonnes were collected and 151 tonnes sent to Germany, while...
In early August, rePlanet suddenly closed all 284 of its recycling centers and terminated 750 employees. The company blamed reduced payments, depressed pricing for scrap aluminium and PET plastic, and higher operating costs as the factors leading to their closure. Currently, about 19% of all California beverage container recycling centers are operating. According to the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, the number stands at 1,225. Aluminum cans and containers were once the most prominent type of container collected for recycling. Lately, both aluminium’s value and quantity are taking hits. Plastic has become more predominant, but it's worth less than aluminium and many manufacturers prefer virgin plastics. "Even aluminium, which still retains value, is worth about...
The US exports of aluminium scrap in June stood 9.66% higher than the same period last year. Exports came in at 159,000 tonnes in June 2019. On a month-on-month comparison, aluminium scraps exports dropped by 1.85% from May’s export volume of 162,000 tonnes, according to the latest report from US Geological Survey. {newsStudioGallery} In the first half of 2019, the US exported 944,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap, from 828,000 tonnes exported in the first half of 2018. This records an increase of 14.01% year-on-year. China, South Korea, and India remained to be the top three aluminium scrap importers from the US in June 2019. The US exported 31,800 tonnes of aluminium scrap to China in June 2019. That was down 15.2% from 37,500 tonnes exported in June 2018. Aluminium scraps exports reduced...
