Artificial intelligence and robotics are playing an increasingly important role in metal recycling and shredder operations. Industry experts highlighted their potential to improve material control, quality assurance and operational efficiency during the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) Shredder Committee meeting in Gothenburg on 1 June.

In a joint open letter addressed to Executive Vice President Stéphane Séjourné and Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, a coalition of European recycling associations and companies has called on the European Commission to reconsider any potential export restrictions on recycled aluminium scrap. The letter, dated May 28, 2026, was coordinated by Recycling Europe and signed by dozens of companies and national associations from across the EU.

The Global Aluminium Can Collectors Alliance (GBCCA) has announced the development of a new technology aimed at advancing the circular economy for aluminium beverage cans. According to the organization, the innovation is designed to improve the collection and recycling processes and ensure that cans remain one of the most recycled packaging formats worldwide.

Finder Color is particularly effective for recovering valuable materials such as copper and brass from mixed heavy metals, cleaning stainless steel fractions (including those from end-of-life vehicles) and achieving high-level purification of printed circuit boards (PCBs) from mixed e-scrap. It is capable of processing grain sizes from 6-120mm and delivering throughputs of up to 20 tons per hour on Zorba material.

The report, released today, analyses the utilisation of EU waste management funding in nine central and eastern European countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, and Poland. It finds that many of these countries are lagging far behind optimal waste management practices, especially in biowaste separation and recycling. This is largely due to a lack of targeted funding for higher-tier waste management solutions, such as waste prevention, reduction, and recycling.

Held at the Midland Hotel in Manchester, England, Lindemann Metal Recycling held its inaugural Customer Advisory Board (CAB), attracting senior executives from leading names in the recycling sector to chart the future of the industry.

This important development comes in response to BIR's request for greater transparency following the 21 February 2025 deadline for countries to submit their applications under the new EU Waste Shipments Regulation.