Increasing trade barriers pose a massive challenge to the global recycling industry, the Bureau of International Recycling’s new president Susie Burrage told the world recycling organisation’s convention in Abu Dhabi.

‘It is unbelievable that now at the time of BIR’s 75th anniversary, the achievements of our founders and forefathers are under threat with a noticeable trend of deglobalisation,’ Burrage warned, adding this was increasingly affecting the free movement of recycled materials.
Even so, she was hopeful about a future in which BIR and recyclers can boost their ‘pro recycling’ message. ‘As the recycling space becomes ever more crowded with a wide range of vested, often conflicting interests, a strong BIR voice is more important than ever before,’ Burrage told delegates at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in ‘magnificent’ Abu Dhabi.
BIR’s new president was filled with ‘a sense of wonder’ about what recyclers can accomplish collectively. ‘It is undeniable that with our combined determination and abilities, we have the ability to become an unstoppable voice’.
Eleven hundred recyclers and scrap traders from 56 countries have attended the convention in Abu Dhabi. Most delegates came from UAE (170) and India (140).
BIR also announced that its 2024 conferences will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark in May, and in Singapore in October.
Curious to hear more? Recycling International will publish a detailed BIR report in the upcoming issue.

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