Recycling Lives pursues growth ‘closer to home’

UK firm Recycling Lives has announced its first shipment of recovered metals to Spain as part of a strategy to build supply links to manufacturing industries within Europe.

Recycling Lives exports almost 500 000 tonnes of ferrous and non-ferrous metal scrap worldwide with clients in China, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Russia. Tazamul Sarodia, managing director of the company’s cars division and head of group trading, says the business is eager to expand within Europe owing to the increasing focus on the circular economy.

He is proud that the first 4 000 tonne shipment is on its way to Spain from Liverpool. ‘Recycled metal is a global commodity market and there is a healthy demand for metals we extract from around 130 000 cars each year and thousands of tonnes of other metal products,’ Sarodia says. ‘The recovered metal we export goes back into the furnaces and foundries to emerge as ingots, plate and bars to be used again in manufacturing – a good example of the circular economy in action.’

He adds that Recycling Lives is actively exploring new markets to keep up with corporate growth and it is ‘good business sense and good for the environment to also look at customers closer to home’.