Europe’s aluminium scrap exports to the US have risen by 243 per cent, highlighting a growing concern over the continent’s access to strategic raw materials as it pursues recycling, decarbonisation and industrial competitiveness. Evangelos Mytilineos, Executive Chairman of METLEN, raised the issue, linking scrap outflows to the broader challenges facing European industry, energy security and strategic autonomy. Aluminium scrap outflows raise industrial concerns Mytilineos referred to the contrasting US tariff treatment of aluminium products, i.e., a 50 per cent tariff on primary aluminium, compared with zero tariff on scrap . With European aluminium scrap exports to the US increasing by 243 per cent, he questioned whether Europe could strengthen its industrial base while allowing valuable...
The US aluminium used beverage can (UBC) scrap price benchmark tracked by Argus recorded a mixed performance over the third quarter of 2026, declining in July before rising in August and September. The monthly average increased from USD 2,322.89 per tonne in July to USD 2,491.22 per tonne in August and USD 2,602.51 per tonne in September, indicating a sustained recovery in the benchmark over the three months. July: Prices decline despite a high opening The benchmark began July at USD 2,464.98 per tonne on July 1, before falling sharply to USD 2,270.76 per tonne on July 3. The price remained at that level on July 2 and July 6, the lowest recorded price for the month. It subsequently recovered gradually, reaching USD 2,319.86 per tonne on July 10 and USD 2,328.63 per tonne on July 22....
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After acquiring Polish aluminium recycler Alumetal S.A. two years ago, Hydro is now on the road to finishing the integration of Alumetal's operations in both Poland and Hungary. As part of a rebranding effort, the plants will now operate under Hydro's name, which will help the company solidify its position as a leader in the European foundry alloy market. The company's complete integration and rebranding of Alumetal marks a strategic move to tap into new commercial opportunities by presenting a unified market front, all while ensuring that its current operations continue smoothly. Hanne Simensen, Executive Vice President of Hydro Aluminium Metal, stated, "We are setting up a true one-stop shop for recycled and low-carbon foundry alloys that includes the full strength of Hydro's R&D...
A new project in Nigeria is aiming to turn a major waste problem into a clean energy solution. DESPRAY Environmental, a Dutch specialist in aerosol recycling, has partnered with Lagos-based FREEE Recycle Limited to launch Food Fuel , an initiative that will convert discarded aerosol gases into safe and affordable cooking fuel. Image for representational purpose The agreement was signed at DESPRAY’s headquarters in the Netherlands, with CEO Eelco Osse and FREEE Recycle founder Ifedolapo Runsewe present alongside government representatives. The concept behind Food Fuel dates back to 2018, when DESPRAY Co-founder Mike MacKay began exploring ways to tackle the reliance on firewood, kerosene, and other polluting fuels widely used in African households. The first installation will be set up in...
Elementary schools across the United States are turning empty aluminium beverage cans into both classroom resources and environmental lessons, as the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) and the Recycling Society kick off the latest edition of the Million Cans Recycling Contest. Image for representational purpose More than 50 schools are participating in the 2026 competition, which runs through April 30. The programme challenges students to collect used beverage cans, with proceeds from local scrap sales going directly back to schools for programs, equipment, and infrastructure. In addition, top-performing schools will win prizes such as pizza and ice cream parties, plus year-end bonuses for the most cans recycled per student. “This nationwide contest pairs elementary schools with our US can...
Hydro's R100 exhibition, which has already made waves in Milan and Copenhagen, is gearing up to make a grand return to its roots during Dutch Design Week 2025. This exciting showcase will take place at Kazerne Home of Design, located at Paradijslaan 2-8 in Eindhoven, from October 18 to 26. The initiative kicked off in November 2024, aiming to gather 52 tonnes of locally sourced aluminium scrap from demolished greenhouses and retired light poles throughout the Netherlands. This post-consumer aluminium was transformed into five unique design pieces, demonstrating the concept of urban mining in action. All the production happened within a 100-kilometre radius in the Benelux region, showcasing Hydro's commitment to reducing emissions in both manufacturing and transportation. The exhibition...
Nupur Recycling Ltd., a leader in metal scrap processing and recycling, based in New Delhi, has successfully acquired Tycod Autotech Pvt. Ltd., a manufacturer of high-pressure die-cast and machined aluminium alloy components for automotive applications, which is located in Haryana. The company sees this move as a key part of its strategy to enhance its operations and integrate further into the market. What is the deal about? The recycling company has officially announced that it has acquired a manufacturer of aluminium alloys and components in an all-cash deal worth INR 240 million or USD 2.7 million. According to the firm, a company that recycles and produces nonferrous metals, this acquisition is a key move in their plan to enhance their operations. They aim to shift from just...
When the first whispers of Hangarbrua being called by the engineers as “We think we can build a bridge entirely from recycled aluminium,” it was as jaw-dropping as it could have been. A bridge, that too from old oil-platform scrap? It sounded daring. But daring is sometimes the cradle of change. Image for representational purpose only Also read: Automotive Aluminum Market Size Automotive Aluminum Market Size reached US$ 97.86 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach US$ 205.24 billion by 2032 Trondheim, Norway — crisp air, evolving skyline, and a gap across the railroad tracks waiting to be bridged. The city was growing, its bike and pedestrian routes pushing outward, and the Public Roads Administration wanted something bold. Not just a bridge — a symbol. They needed a structure that...
What began as an early morning alarm turned into hours of firefighting in DeWitt, New York, when a blaze tore through the Metalico scrap metal recycling facility on Sunday, September 28. Crews from across Onondaga County were called in around 6:30 a.m., battling dense smoke and deep-seated flames in a tangled heap of scrap metal until late morning. Image for representational purpose only Also read - Global aluminium pivot: Will low-carbon scrap reshape the market? For residents nearby, the drama unfolded in real time. David Sokolic, who lives just minutes from the yard, woke to the sound of sirens. “I put the scanner on, and I heard it was down there. Then I came outside around 7:30, 8 o’clock, and you could see smoke all up in here,” he recalled. “Then after a little while, you could...
The aluminium beverage can industry is well-positioned for circularity, but achieving this vision requires a unified, collective effort. The International Aluminium Institute (IAI) 's "Can-to-Can Recycling: Performance, Potential and Pathways" factsheet outlines how aluminium can recycling can drive circularity and presents a transformative roadmap that aligns with the International Energy Agency's net-zero target for 2050. To grasp the scale of this opportunity and the urgent need for action, it is crucial to examine both the vast potential and the current challenges of aluminium can recycling. These obstacles can be addressed on a global scale in the future, as Marlen Bertram, director of scenario forecasts at the IAI, discusses in this article for The Metal Packager. By 2030, global...
Secondary aluminium production in the United States has stepped up just as primary output has faltered, rising 2 per cent in the first half of 2025 to offset the equivalent decline in primary production. The United States Geological Survey data showed the primary aluminium production through the first half of 2025 recorded a year-on-year drop of about 2 per cent, weighed down by persistent declines or restraints in output. In June, the output dropped by 1,000 tonnes over a year, standing at 54,000 tonnes, mirroring the same trend as the previous month when the primary aluminium production dropped Y-o-Y from 57,000 tonnes to 56,000 tonnes. In April, however, the output had grown by 1,000 tonnes, while in the two preceeding months; it stood restrained at 577,000 tonnes and 52,000 tonnes....
After the pandemic in 2020 and early 2021, global aluminium demand has made a strong comeback and is now on a steady growth trajectory. According to industry data, total global consumption hit 97.6 million tonnes in 2023 and is projected to rise to 100.8 million tonnes in 2024, primarily driven by the release of pent-up demand. Out of this total, recycled aluminium made up 27.7 million tonnes in 2023, with a slight increase to 28.4 million tonnes in 2024. As per AL Circle's report, the global aluminium recycling market is set to experience notable growth from 2023 to 2032. By 2024, the industry had already shown consistent progress, due to strategic moves and investments from key players in the field. In 2024, global aluminium consumption, which includes both primary and recycled metal,...
New research from UK-based non-profit organisation Every Can Counts (ECC) has revealed that recycling has become a flashpoint across Britain’s households, with habits diverging sharply between age groups. A survey of 2,000 people showed Gen Z (18–24s) are the most argumentative. Six in ten who row about recycling admit to doing so weekly. In contrast, only one in ten Boomers (55–64s) say the same. Image for representational purposes only Also read: Indonesian thermal coal supply to tighten next quarter? The most heated disputes among younger couples centre on “correctness”. Six in ten Gen Z households argue about unwashed containers. Four in ten clash over greasy pizza boxes, while two in five report rows over dirty plastics, almost double the rate seen in Gen X homes. Millennials...
Consulting firm McKinsey & Co. has urged the aluminium industry to adopt advanced scrap sorting methods to unlock higher-value recycling opportunities. In a recent chart published on its website, the firm noted that 68 per cent of aluminium scrap is post-consumer and over half of it is collected in mixed formats, creating a barrier to quality recovery. “A large portion of aluminium scrap comes from postconsumer sources , but much of it ends up in mixed scrap pools,” noted McKinsey and Germany-based staff member Peter Spiller. He warns that such mixed streams are prone to being “downcycled,” meaning high-value alloys are left unrecovered. Aluminium recycling and the circular economy The analysis builds on McKinsey’s July 2025 report, part of its six-part “Materials Circularity” series,...
National Environmental Recycling Co., popularly known as Tadweeer, has signed a landmark agreement with Chinese automaker Chery to establish an aluminium smelter in Saudi Arabia, announced Tadweer’s CEO Nasser Aldueb announced in an interview with Al Arabiya TV. The project, to be located over 15,000 square metres, is estimated at USD 10–15 million (SAR 37.5–56.3 million). The plant will have an annual production capacity of 50,000 tonnes of specialised aluminium, particularly used in cars. This development follows three years of collaboration between Tadweeer and Chery, during which the former used to supply the latter with recycled aluminium products , which Tadweer is exclusively specialised in.. Aldueb noted that a joint task force has been formed to prepare the feasibility study,...
This summer, Every Can Counts (ECC) has recycled more than 75,000 aluminium cans in the United Kingdom and Ireland in coordination with various leading beverage brands. Over the past few months, the recycling initiative of Every Can Counts (ECC) has joined forces with significant brands like Red Bull and Most Wanted Wines, along with its team of 77 dedicated ambassadors, and has been active at major events like Latitude, Electric Picnic, and Download Festival. In addition, ECC made its first appearances at Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Radio 2 in the Park, LIDO, and Victorious Festivals this year. During all these festivals and events, the ECC team has raised awareness on the importance of recycling and its sustainability by using various innovative props like fun voting bins and eye-catching...
Brazil’s aluminium recycling success story is about to get a new chapter. Alugreen has announced plans to establish a state-of-the-art recycling plant in Linhares, Espírito Santo, an ambitious project backed by an initial investment of R$45 million (USD 8.47 million). Linhares is a city located in the northern part of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. Nestled in the Eco Park Logistics Park within the Bebedouro Industrial District, the facility signals a bold step forward for Brazil’s circular economy. In its opening phase, the plant will generate about 50 direct jobs and 500 indirect ones, supplying recycled aluminium primarily to the steel and metallurgy industries. But this is only the beginning. Get your hands on - World Recycled ALuminium Market Analysis Industry forecast to 2032...
A massive fire late Tuesday night forced the shutdown of Novelis’ aluminium plant in Scriba after flames tore through the roof and damaged the facility’s hot mill. Image for representational purpose The blaze began just after 10 pm at 448 County Route 1A, according to Oswego County 911 dispatchers. Flames and thick smoke from the rooftop led firefighters to declare a third alarm. Roughly 20 fire departments from Oswego and Onondaga counties responded, with crews still on scene into Wednesday morning. The fire was declared out around 2 am, but some firefighters remained at the site until 10 am Novelis spokesperson Karen Judd said the damage was largely confined to the roof. “We’re still investigating the cause and the extent, but it was mostly isolated to the roof of the factory,” she...
Scotland’s circular economy has been quantified in hard numbers for the first time, with a new economic study placing its contribution at GBP 7.11 billion in gross value added (GVA) in 2021. The valuation represents 4.7 per cent of Scotland’s total GVA, or 3.9 per cent of GDP when including offshore oil and gas extraction. Employment linked to circular activity stood at 81,447, accounting for 4.4 per cent of total Scottish jobs. The figures, published by Zero Waste Scotland and produced by Eunomia Research & Consulting with University College London, establish a baseline for measuring circularity’s role in Scotland’s economy. They also highlight the scale of opportunity: circular activity already outpaces EU averages, but significant data limitations mean the true footprint may be larger...
As Brussels pushes forward with the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and doubles down on its climate ambitions, the European aluminium sector is sounding the alarm on another missing piece in the policy puzzle: aluminium scrap. The call is not new, but it is urgent. As downstream manufacturers and industry veterans univocally demand expanded inclusion of goods into CBAM framework, the European Aluminium has advocated for scrap export taxation. Also read: EU top export destinations: Aluminium tube export rebalance as US slump & Norway-Türkiye rise European Aluminium, the industry’s leading voice, argues that without a scrap export tax, Europe risks squandering its strongest competitive lever in the race for decarbonisation — its recycling base. The recycling paradox Recycling is...
