Page 9 from: January / February 2016

7January/February 2016

N E W S
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International Copper Study Group
Secondary refined copper production from scrap was just 2000 tonnes higher
worldwide in the opening 10 months of 2015, according to preliminary data from
the International Copper Study Group. The total of 3.23 million tonnes compares to
3.228 million tonnes in January-October 2014. The new data indicates a world
production surplus of 60 000 tonnes in January-October 2015 as against a deficit
of around 485 000 tonnes for the corresponding period of 2014. www.icsg.org

MadDog/The Scrap Post
US firm MadDog Technology has acquired a 50% equity stake in The Scrap Post,
a leading online marketplace for scrap dealers, brokers and consumers. The new
partnership is to bid to ‘revolutionise’ the US$ 145 billion scrap industry through
technology innovation and ‘unparalleled’ customer value.
www.thescrappost.com

Plastics Recyclers Europe
The annual Plastics Recycling Show Europe – which was postponed in November
owing to the security alert in Brussels – has been rescheduled for March 22-23 at
the new venue of Brussels Expo. www.plasticsrecyclers.eu

Alupro
The number of local authorities collecting empty aerosol containers for recycling
has increased from 87 to 96% in the UK, according to new figures published by
Alupro. The figures also show that over the past three years the number of coun-
cils collecting aluminium foil for recycling increased from just 35% of councils in
2007 to currently 86%. www.alupro.org.uk

European Parliament
The European Parliament has rejected the European Commission’s plans to allow
the recycling of PVC plastics containing the toxic chemical DEHP. The ‘hormone
disrupter’ officially called Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate has been banned since
February last year. It was ruled that producers had not provided enough proof that
the socio-economic benefits of recycling would outweigh health risks.

EBRD
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is promoting industrial
waste recycling in Turkey with a US$ 20 million loan to Befesa Silvermet Iskend-
erun, a company which operates a steel dust recycling plant. The company uses
Waelz technology to transform electric arc furnace dust into secondary zinc; the
final product is then sold to zinc smelters. The funding will double the plant’s
capacity for electric arc furnace dust treatment up to 110 000 tonnes per year.

BusinessCars: EDV batteries
present big recycling
opportunity
Last year, around 276 000 electric-
drive vehicle (EDV) batteries left the mar-
ket in North America alone, according to
a new report from CEC Publications. And
the market for these vehicles is expected
to experience ‘significant and rapid
growth’ over the coming decades.
An estimated 1.5 million e-car batteries
are expected to reach their end-of-life

stage by 2030. By then, half of the EDV
batteries will be lithium-based with the
remainder being the nickel metal hydride
variety. This prediction is based on the
‘strong’ trend towards e-mobility: in
2013, EDVs represented roughly 4% of
annual vehicle sales in the USA, 1.44%
in Canada and around 0.09% in Mexico.
By 2020, the total number of EDV batter-

ies reaching their end-of-life
phase will increase to 358
000 while, by 2025, a pro-
jected 849 000 batteries will
leave the market – mostly
units introduced around
2011. These will present a
‘vital opportunity’ to recap-
ture and recycle materials
like nickel, cobalt and steel,
the report argues.
www3.cec.org

Precious commodities
wasted in the Netherlands
An estimated Euro 73 million worth
of raw materials were wasted in the
Netherlands in 2012, according a new
report from national statistics office CBS.
A significant proportion of the 10% of
recyclables lost to the waste stream

resulted from Dutch citizens not handing
in small electronic devices for recycling.
Approximately Euro 27 million worth of
gold ended up on the rubbish heap,
points out the report entitled ‘Green
Growth in the Netherlands 2015’. Mean-
while, plastics accounted for 29% of the
value of all ‘lost materials’ in 2012, with
copper on 24%, iron 20%, aluminium
5%, palladium 3% and silver 1%.
Dutch households and companies
together own around 4.4 billion kg of
electrical and electronic products – or an
average of 259 kg per inhabitant or 585
kg per household per year. Larger items
of equipment are often collected for recy-
cling, yet small objects like electric tooth-
brushes are more likely to be thrown
away, according to CBS.
The statistics office cites figures for ‘offi-
cially collected’ recyclables of 37% for
aluminium, 35% for iron, 34% for pal-
ladium, 33% for silver, 32% for gold,
30% for copper, 29% for plastics and
23% for batteries. www.cbs.nl

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