Aluminium’s trade map is no longer drawn by smelters alone. Scrap flows, power contracts, industrial policy and specialist grades now shape who secures metal, at what cost and under whose rules. Ten recent developments across Europe, the US, Australia, Japan and Mexico show how recycling, energy and regulation are becoming the new levers of aluminium competitiveness. They also show where traders, exporters and policymakers may need to adjust. Scrap tug-of-war: the US pull, Europe’s leak and the recycling base at stake The pull starts with price. The US UBC scrap benchmark averaged USD 2,322.89 a tonne in July, USD 2,491.22 in August and USD 2,602.51 in September. That is a 12 per cent climb, and it came after a July that opened at USD 2,464.98 and fell to USD 2,270.76 within two days....
Nespresso is expanding its aluminium coffee capsule recycling network across New Zealand, adding 25 JB Hi-Fi stores as collection points and bringing the total number of participating retail locations to 138. The move gives coffee drinkers more places to return used capsules, helping make recycling a little easier after that final, satisfying sip. The new collection points join existing locations at Briscoes and Noel Leeming stores. The expansion also complements other return options available through Nespresso, including its boutiques, public collection points, NZ Post drop-off locations and courier collections from customers’ homes. The aim is to make returning used capsules more convenient, recognising that a single collection method will not work for everyone. For those who enjoy...
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UK secondary aluminium ingot prices remained at last week’s levels on Wednesday, although scrap prices – particularly the purer grades – continued to slide following price falls in the London Metal Exchange aluminium contract.
Waste from aluminum recycling at Tennessee Aluminum Processors Inc. and Smelter Services Corp. in Mt. Pleasant is causing concern at a Murfreesboro landfill. On March 28, authorities at Middle Point Landfill, located off East Jefferson Pike in Murfreesboro, reported an area of “elevated temperatures” in a section of the landfill where aluminum waste was deposited, according to a consent order issued by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation on July 22.
Lugging those cans, bottles and paper products down to the curb has paid off for Berkeley residents. That's because Ocean County officials are paying taxpayers another dividend from an unlikely source, the county’s mutual fund of garbage.
Russian-origin AK5M2 aluminum alloy offers have dropped 4% from two weeks ago, tracking the fall, also of 4%, in US scrap aluminum prices, market sources said Tuesday. AK5M2 alloy is used by secondary aluminum alloy smelters in Asia for production of ADC12 alloy, while old cast and other scrap varieties are used in the US.
S.I.C Recycling, a subsidiary of the John Deere distributor Sloan Implement Co., headquartered in Assumption, Ill., has announced plans to open a scrap metal recycling facility in Riverton, Ill. The company hopes to process more than 13 million pounds of copper and aluminum per year when it is fully operational. The company broke ground on the new facility Aug. 11. The scrap metal facility will be the first for the equipment distributor. While the yard may capitalize on a few synergies with Sloan Implement, the decision to build a scrap metal facility was the opening of a scrap metal facility, Ecovery LLC, in Alabama, by the uncle of Sloan’s CEO. The non-ferrous scrap metal recycling facility will cover around 15 acres in Riverton. Brady Bird, general manager of S.I.C. Recycling, says the...
A scrap-metal recycling plant at Riverton expects to process more than 13 million pounds of copper and aluminum annually and to have a work force of 25 once the plant reaches capacity in a couple of years. SIC Recycling Inc. will sell into an industry that claimed nearly $40 billion in revenues and 138,000 jobs in 2010. The project is estimated to cost $5 million, including construction, equipment and the land purchase.
A smoldering fire ignited by aluminum waste at an Ohio landfill sparked Allied Waste officials to stop accepting that type of special waste four years ago at its facilities, including Middle Point Landfill. Middle Point, located off Jefferson Pike in the Walter Hill community just north of Murfreesboro, hasn't sustained any fires caused by waste such as salt cake and bag house dust, nor do officials believe there is a threat of fire.
The UK’s aluminium can recycling rate is getting closer to the European average, according to the latest figures published by the European Aluminium Association.
Secondary aluminum has been relatively quiet as far as volume. We are getting a lot of mixed reports. The market has tightened up a bit. There is a lot of uncertainty in the market because everyone is anticipating the worst of this whole budget crisis, so a lot of people are afraid to take a step forward until they know what the future holds. We are seeing that people are still buying, working hand and mouth. Scrap is available. There always seems to be more in the summer due to some of the consumers taking plant shutdowns for plant maintenance and vacation. The Chinese are out there but they are not as aggressive as they were. Primary scrap is still tight. Premiums are still high. Companies like Novelis have been very aggressive. There seems to be still a strong need for the better...
Separating aluminum yields much higher payday for township. West Milford — Recycling pays, not only for the good it does for our planet but also for the coffers of the township. Recycling of pure aluminum pays even more. The Township gets $940 per ton for recycled aluminum but only 50 cents per ton for co-mingled recyclable materials (plastics numbered 1-7, metals and glass). Further, every ton recycled means a ton eliminated from regular garbage, thus yielding even more financial savings that will ultimately benefit property taxes.
Warwickshire Waste Partnership has launched its 'Aerofoil' awareness initiative as part of the county's campaign for residents to 'Slim Your Bin'. The Aerofoil campaign has been funded by industry regulator Alupro to encourage households to recycle aerosol cans and foil containers in their kerbside recycling collection.
Japan Metal Bulletin reported that Japanese supply of waste automotive engine decreases recently around Tokyo. A trader source said that the export increases for Malaysia while the supply decreases due to lower scrapped car. Domestic secondary aluminum makers cannot operate normally due to shortage of the raw materials and some makers' operation rate is less than 50%.
Aleris International Inc. has reported a second-quarter profit on a solid increase in sales. The aluminum recycler and producer said its net income in the quarter totaled $56 million. Aleris said it had a year-earlier loss of $60 million, which excluded $2.2 billion in gains associated with the company's emergence on June 1, 2010, from Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.
Some of the community's heavy hitters are amassing their collective muscle to help the municipality secure elevated recycling revenues. With West Milford Township able to collect upwards of approximately 1,900 times the revenue from recycled aluminum by diverting the scrap from curbside collection to the recycling center, the mayor, council candidates and recycling advocates have thrown their support behind a township initiative that urges residents to sort and deliver their aluminum to the recycling center. Now, due to their enthusiasm, the township's Pinecliff Lake Community Club has joined the effort by creating a dedicated aluminum drop-off zone on community property. From there it will be regularly delivered to the recycling center on Lycosky Drive.
Shandong Loften Aluminum Foil (Loften Foil) (002379) posted a 30.63-percent year-on-year fall in net profits for the first half of 2011 to 10.98 million yuan, reports the China Securities Journal, citing a company filing. Sales revenues grew 58.75 percent year-on-year to 807.44 million yuan during that period.
Aluminum waste buried years ago at Middle Point Landfill has begun causing temperatures to rise in a closed section of the landfill. In late March, Allied Waste discovered steam and heat in the closed area and notified the state. “When we noticed the elevated temperatures in portions of the landfill, we began implementing a program that includes cooling and gas-collection devices, backfilling any settlement that might be occurring and preventing the introduction of any additional liquid into the landfill,” said Middle Point General Manager John Doyen.
Nonferrous auto shred prices could be heading for an uptick after renewed Chinese interest in the lower-grade zorba shred has sent prices up by between 3 and 6 cents per pound, depending on region. East Coast sources said zorba prices are about 5 to 6 cents per pound higher than a month ago, while West Coast traders are reporting increases of up to 3 cents per pound. Market participants said Chinese buyers eyeing red metal content in zorba offered more aggressive prices last week. That is expected to affect the price of twitch, a higher grade of nonferrous auto shred.
Public consultation is starting over plans to process non-recyclable waste in north Wales, possibly building an incineration plant. Two sites in Deeside and Anglesey have been earmarked in the £800m project.
