German shredders run short of ELV feed

Archiv – German scrap processors expect a 1m-tonne drop in collections of steel scrap next year owing to a rise in the number of old cars going beyond the country’s borders.German scrap processors expect a 1m-tonne drop in collections of steel scrap next year owing to a rise in the number of old cars going beyond the country’s borders. ’A recent survey showed that the intake of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) has dropped by 70% in comparison with last year,’ comments Jürgen Karle, President of German steel scrap federation BDSV. According to figures provided by the federation, some 3 million vehicles are de-registered each year, of which fewer than 1 million end up at German shredders while the remainder are shipped abroad.
According to BDSV’s Managing Director Rolf Willeke, the flow of ELVs to Poland and elsewhere has become more dramatic since Eastern European countries joined the EU last year. BDSV representatives are appealing to the European Union to harmonise environmental standards for shredders in different countries. Mr Willeke states: ’We keep the best environmental standards, but that’s why we are losing material.’ German car dealers obtain more money from abroad than from domestic recyclers with their relatively high dismantling costs.
’Detailed regulations in Germany mean up to ‘‚¬ 150 extra in dismantling costs, which don’t apply in the new member countries,’ says BDSV. According to the organisation, a medium-sized shredder costs some ‘‚¬ 5 million to construct while compliance with environmental standards entails expenditure of a further ‘‚¬ 5 million. ’Around 45 shredder plants in Germany are currently outbidding one another for material,’ states Mr Karle. ’German shredders are estimated to be operating at only 60% of their capacity. At less than 70% utilisation, recyclers cannot work profitably.’