Chiao: Industry heading into a perfect storm

Tariff wars and regulatory changes are still the most discussed topics among international recyclers, according to divisional president David Chiao in the latest Non-Ferrous Metals World Mirror published by the Bureau for International Recycling (BIR).

‘Some of China’s nearest neighbours may very possibly follow Beijing’s footsteps in banning scrap imports if we don’t pay attention to our quality, warns Chiao,’ adding that ‘some countries are already prohibiting imports of certain grades of recovered paper and plastics scrap’.

Major turbulence

For many years, Chiao says, BIR has put considerable effort into getting the message across that scrap is not waste. ‘But if we cannot convince our own members to export scrap instead of waste, how can we tell the world we are engaged in scrap material recycling?

‘How can we blame the general public’s perception of the scrap/waste equation? Considering all the turbulence we have already encountered, our industry is heading into a perfect storm.’

London gathering

Recyclers from around the globe will gather in London on October 5-7 for BIR’s latest convention. Among the speakers is Edward Meir of the US-based Commodity Research Group who will present an analysis of the impact of the current US/China tariff war on commodities, to be followed by a panel discussion of current issues and how they affect our industry.