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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A new recycling plant will see up to 25,000 tonnes of drinks cartons recycled in the UK rather than sent to Europe. Manufacturers Tetra Pak, Elopak and Combibloc have teamed up with paper and packaging producer Sonoco Alcore to open a dedicated carton recycling facility in Stainland, Yorkshire. The plant, which can take up to 1.25m cartons a year, is expected to "significantly boost recycling rates", and save local authorities £3.6m on landfill taxes and gate fees. Collection services for food and drink cartons have, historically, been peripheral in the UK - at least compared with PET plastic bottles. According to WRAP, 93% of councils were collecting plastic bottles at the kerbside in 2011/12. This compares to the 39% that took cartons, though some offer services at bring sites. In all,...
European magnesium prices rose on Friday August 30, on substitution buying due to the lack of availability of aluminium scrap, market sources said. “Magnesium consumption grows on substitution in Europe when the market lacks aluminium scrap,” a trader said. “We’ve been doing more [deals], and prices have risen.” Metal Bulletin’s European magnesium price rose to $2,800-2,900 per tonne from $2,700-2,800 previously, returning to the level last traded in June. “Prices have risen by $100 [per tonne] over the past two or three weeks,” a second trader said. Chinese market prices sit at 15,900-16,500 yuan ($2,575-2,675) per tonne, following a slow August. “August was bad, and it’s hard going in China – prices have fallen to an unsustainable level,” the trader said. But demand is healthier in...
Japan imported less secondary aluminum alloy from China in July than a year ago while local production rose, according to government and industry statistics released this week. Japan imported 29,789 mt of secondary aluminum alloy from China in July 2013, down 6% year-on-year. Imports from China are mostly auto diecasting alloy used for automotive components, according to industry sources. Meanwhile, Japan's production of auto diecasting alloy was 39,703 mt in July, up 2.1% year-on-year, the Japan Aluminum Alloy Refiners Association said Thursday. Diecaster sources said the July orders for automotive components were stable and their alloy consumption held steady. Japan's passenger vehicle production was 776,004 vehicles in July, down 3% year-on-year due to lower output of small passenger...
UK secondary aluminium producers are trying to source scrap metal ahead of expected price increases due to tight supply, Metal Bulletin has been told. “It’s hard to get out in front, but we’re doing what we can to buy scrap in,” one producer said. “Buying scrap now is the right thing to do.” Scrap supply could tighten significantly in the coming weeks, as more ingot producers look for raw material deliveries and as export markets in Asia look for a recovery. Deliveries into India, for example, stopped over the summer on currency issues. Tightening supply will lead to higher prices, and producers are now trying to buy material in ahead of those increases. “We’re trying to find scrap now,” a second producer said. Scrap prices were stable on Wednesday August 28, but buyers expect to be...
On Tuesday, August 27, Chinese aluminum scrap fell by 4.1 percent, making it the day’s biggest mover. The Chinese aluminum cash price declined 0.2 percent. The price of Chinese aluminum bar continues hovering in place for the fifth day in a row. For the fifth consecutive day, the price of Chinese aluminum billet held flat. After a 1.2 percent increase, the cash price of primary Indian aluminum finished the day up. On the LME, the aluminum 3-month price showed little movement yesterday, hovering around $1,881 per metric ton. On the LME, the primary aluminum cash price held steady around $1,834 per metric ton.
The Belgium BBQ Championships 2013 took place last week in Oostende, Belgium and were supported by the European aluminium industry. The jury was composed of the main Belgium Michelin star chefs and it was, in general, very impressed by the high quality of the dishes served by the teams. The new Belgium BBQ Champion is Team HERTALS. About 30,000 visitors enjoyed watching the 36 BBQ teams from Belgium and neighbouring countries displaying their skills at the grill across the full range of BBQ disciplines. For all teams aluminium foil was a major component of their creative barbecuing and practical preparation of the five required barbecue dishes (fish, pork, chicken, beef and a dessert dish). The thick aluminium household foil and the sets of small rectangular and round aluminium foil...
Scrap aluminum wheel prices have risen since the middle of August as demand continues to outpace supply. Free-market transaction prices for 356.1 wheels are between 86 and 89 cents per pound, up from 85 to 88 cents Aug. 13, traders said. One trader noted that he had seen an uptick in trading activity over the past week, which he said was likely a function of alloy producers ramping up production schedules following annual furnace overhauls. "Rims are a hard-sought item right now. Sellers are sold out and interest from buyers remains very strong," he said. "Because of these factors, we have been able to achieve sales that were 1 to 2 cents higher from last week." Demand from the automotive sector continues to be robust, one rim seller said. "We’re up a penny from last month. This is...
Ye Chiu Metal Recycling (China) Ltd. reported a 22.4% decline in first half’s profit due to sluggish aluminium alloy market and restated its expansion plans on China’s policy support. It made a net profit of 71.9 million yuan ($11.6 million) or 0.18 yuan per share in the first six months, Asia’s largest secondary aluminium producer told Shanghai Stock Exchange today. It is building a 218,800-tpy secondary aluminium alloy plant in Malaysia, and is also planning a 273,600-tpy plant with location yet to be confirmed, it said in the interim report. Ye Chiu currently has a production capacity of 269,000 tpy. The company’s total capacity would grow to 812,400 tpy after completion of the two projects, it added. The expansion ``would effectively solve the company’s production bottlenecks...
Veolia ES Technical Solutions has opened a new electronics recycling facility that is capable of recovering more than 99% by weight of a fluorescent lamp in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts. According to the company the new plant features the latest state-of-the-art recycling equipment for fluorescent lamps, ballast, batteries, computers, electronics and mercury-bearing waste. Veolia E-Waste Recycling Facility to Recover Mercury & Rare Earths in U.S.Veolia added that the facility not only separates a fluorescent lamp into its core components of glass, aluminium and mercury-bearing phosphor power, but also reclaims the mercury. The company said that it currently processes approximately 15.5 million pounds (7000 tonnes) of lighting and electronic waste annually and over 155 pounds (70 kg) of...
A new policy directive enabling local buyers of scrap metal to get it at 20% below the international spot price, have been welcomed by fabricators and smelters, amid the hope that this will stem growing exports of scrap metal to Asia. The directive, introduced by government in early August, is aimed at reversing deindustrialisation in the country. It would allow local buyers of scrap metal such as foundries, mills, minimills and secondary scrap processors to buy scrap at a preferential rate of 20% below the international spot price available to South Africa exporters of ferrous and nonferrous waste metals. South Africa has in recent years seen an upsurge in exports of scrap metal exports, with much of this blamed on organised syndicates even targeting public infrastructure in an effort to...
Aluminium producer Hulamin is taking a serious stab at securing a substantial slice of its raw material needs from recycling. This could be a game changer for cost-efficient supply arrangements. Hulamin is working hard to change market perceptions that its beneficiation model is not competitive in SA's high-cost industrial environment. Its short-term supply arrangements appear to be in order. Slab supply from the Bayside smelter in Richards Bay has been extended to March 2014 and the melting ingot supply contract from Hillside is to be renegotiated in 2015. The company also imports extrusion billet from the Middle East. For the longer term, though, Hulamin CE Richard Jacob believes the company can source as much as 25% of its metal inputs from recycling. This may sound fanciful, but...
Hit hard by the recent levies of import duty on scrap, around 4,500 metal recycling units are facing closure due to cheaper import from Asian countries; worse is in store with the process of signing Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with these countries. There is now a tariff of 2.5 to five per cent on import of all metal scrap, the raw material for producing small articles made of brass, copper and steel for applications in households and artifacts. With the rupee setting a new low record every other day, import of metal scrap has already made articles from secondary metals costlier. “Scrap recyclers, therefore, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday with a request to look into the matter and provide them a level playing field. The Prime Minister assured us that he would look into the...
Russian AK5M2 aluminum prices have stayed supported at $2,000/mt for the past six months, as slowing car sales have led to fewer cars getting dismantled, generating less scrap supplies, Japanese market sources said Tuesday. This week, AK5M2 -- melted aluminum scrap used as ADC12 aluminum alloy feedstock -- was offered at $2,080-2,090/mt CFR Japan for loading in late September to October, Japanese traders said. The offers were for 1% zinc and 0.5% magnesium material, the most common specification. One Japanese secondary aluminum smelter source said the lowest offer was $2,020-2,040/mt CFR Japan for 1% zinc and 0.85% magnesium material. AK5M2 prices typically fall during the third quarter, as scrap supplies increase compared with the first quarter when the Russian scrap yards become...
Of all the people visiting “Bandos Recycling & Shredding”, there’s one woman who’s known by her first name. 83-year-old Ruth Hana visits there regularly. She has friends help her deposit cans for cash as she recycles hundreds of aluminum containers once holding soda or beer. Bandos gives her more than the average customer, because they know she’s taking the money only to give it to others. Since age 55, Ruth says she’s collected cans from county buildings and others places then given the money to charity. Ruth says most of the cash collected has gone to the foster system. She was an orphan, and says while growing up in homes through the years she suffered abuse in one household. She gives to organizations to try to make a difference in how other children grow up, and hopes to prevent the...
Bedford Borough Council in an effort to be more environmentally friendly is campaigning for residents to recycle all aluminium screw tops that come with glass bottles. This is designed to increase the recycling of aluminium screw tops and collars. The council hopes that this campaign will encourage people to link the bottle to the screw top before placing them in recycling banks. The campaign stresses the importance of recycling aluminium closures as they are 100 per cent recyclable and so each screw top and bottle placed in a bottle bank can be turned into something new and useful such as other bottles, phones and even cars. Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson, said: “We are committed to reducing the amount of waste needlessly sent to landfill and this includes encouraging local...
Carlsberg has become the first brewer invest in national aluminium packaging recycling campaign 'Every Can Counts' which encourages on-the-go recycling at outdoor events across the UK. The campaign is led by the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro) and Carlsberg UK will become one of the programme's main funding parters, as well as a member. The move marks the company's commitment to increase the recovery and recycling of its aluminium cans used across its portfolio of beer and cider brands, which alongside Carlsberg and Carlsberg Export includes Tetley's, Tuborg, San Miguel and Somersby. Already this summer Carlsberg UK staff have been supporting recycling promotions under the 'Every Can Counts' brand at Latitude Festival in July and will do so again at Leeds Festival...
A steel-railings manufacturer and a scrap-metal dealer have joined to sue Goldman Sachs Group, adding to the Wall Street firm's legal headaches stemming from allegations it manipulated the aluminium market. Viva Railings and Regal Recycling accused Goldman and two subsidiaries of hoarding aluminium in warehouses to boost the metal's price artificially, the companies wrote Thursday in their lawsuit in US District Court in Manhattan. The suit is the latest action filed by aluminium buyers as metal warehousing firms' practises have drawn fire from regulators and politicians. Viva Railings is a Lewisville, Texas, maker of railings. Regal Recycling is based in Howell, Michigan. The two aluminium buyers sued Goldman and affiliates GS Power Holdings and Metro International Trade Services. Metro,...
Novelis is spending $200 million on its rolled-aluminum plant in Oswego, NY, so the company can quadruple its output for the automotive industry and permit several new all-aluminium vehicles to be built in North America. Novelis had been selling aluminum for hoods, liftgates and some roofs for years, but now North American customers are asking for complete vehicles or all their liftgates or hoods. Boney says Novelis has two customers for all-aluminum vehicles. To meet the demand, Novelis needs to invest. The rolling plant in Oswego has a capacity of 1.3 billion lbs. (590 million kg) of rolled aluminum a year. Recently, automotive business consumed about 175 million lbs. (79.4 million kg), while the can industry got most of the production. Rolled aluminum had been sent to a Novelis...
