Page 11 from: May 2015

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US scrap exporters lost hundreds
of millions of dollars during the nine-
month West Coast port labour dispute.
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Indus-
tries (ISRI) is concerned that port con-
gestion and long delays to export ship-
ments could result in ‘permanent loss of
market share’, with overseas customers
‘losing confi dence in our ability to reli-
ably deliver scrap commodities’.
ISRI president Robin Wiener has pointed
out in a letter to Penny Pritzker, US Sec-
retary of Commerce, that recyclers lost
multi-million dollar sums per day as ports
were forced to turn away traffi c. ‘Fortu-
nately, a complete shutdown appears to
have been averted as that would been
even more devastating’, she underlines.
‘Scrap is the top export by volume out of
the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach,’
Wiener stresses, adding that the dispute
between the International Longshore and
Warehouse Union and Pacifi c Maritime

Association caused the scrap recycling
industry signifi cant ‘collateral damage’.
ISRI estimates that scrap exports from
West Coast ports declined nearly 12%
in 2014 to less than US$ 8.4 billion. The
downturn became ‘more pronounced as
the year progressed and the port situa-
tion deteriorated,’ the industry body
claims. Wiener says: ‘In December 2014,
the value of scrap exports from the West
Coast plunged 17% year-on-year,
reflecting a year-over-year volume
decrease of nearly 160 000 tonnes of
scrap and a decline in scrap export sales
approaching US$ 130 million for the
month of December alone.’
Also, the dispute hit many workers hard,
Wiener points out. ‘Scrap exports support
35 000 jobs in California, Washington
and Oregon, and hundreds of thousands
more across the country that process,
broker, ship and perform numerous other
roles in the manufacture of recycled com-

modities. Many of these workers lost
their jobs or saw a reduction in hours as
a result of the slowdown.’
In a final plea to the Department of
Commerce, Wiener urges: ‘As the parties
on the West Coast begin to restore full

operations and clear the backlogs at the
ports, it is critical that we work together
in the future to avoid these disruptions
that are so costly in terms of economic
growth, jobs and our balance of trade.’
www.isri.org

US recyclers fear long-term impact of ports dispute

Voss retires and business put
into administration
After more than 40 years, high-profi le recy-
cling industry fi gure Robert Voss CBE, 62, has
decided to retire from the secondary metals
industry.

As a result, the directors of UK-based Voss Interna-
tional Ltd – the non-ferrous scrap trading business he
founded 28 years ago – have put the company into
administration to protect the interests of what Voss describes as ‘the very few
creditors, mainly the bank and me’.
‘The timing is right for me,’ he tells Recycling International. ‘I had always planned
to retire from day-to-day trading at the age of 62 and current conditions in the
industry haven’t encouraged me to change that plan.’ In recent times, his com-
pany has been hit in particular by Kazakhstan’s ban on the export of scrap. ‘We
had put a lot of time and effort into Kazakhstan but the “temporary” ban has been
extended and extended, effectively undermining our export venture,’ he explains.
Voss retired as president of non-ferrous metals body Eurometrec last September
and recently stood down as chairman of the BIR world recycling organisation’s
International Trade Council, a position he had held since the council’s inception
seven years ago. He also stepped down from the BIR Non-Ferrous Metals Division
board after serving on it for more than 25 years. ‘I have many other interests to
pursue, including community, charity and business,’ he points out. ‘I have offers of
consultancy and to act as an arbitrator, and have been asked by the UK prime
minister to get involved with a specifi c project.’ www.vossinternational.co.uk

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