Michael Brunn

The ferrous metals industry seems to have hit rock bottom - this is something most experts agree on. But there is still no coherent tendency as to where the markets are heading. The current BIR report provides an overview of the different regions.

The next conference in electronics and cars recycling will take place from November 15 - 18, 2016 in Macau.

Extracting precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, or palladium, from electronic waste has never been an easy procedure; moreover, the process becomes more dangerous with the inclusion of solutions that primarily contain cyanide which eventually affects the environment.

A study by the New York City Department of Sanitation and the city's Business Integrity Commission has highlighted benefits of establishing commercial waste collection zones. The study said that setting up such zones for private waste collection firms would reduce truck traffic and greenhouse gas emissions associated with waste collection. The study said that the zones could reduce truck traffic by 49-68% and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 42-64%.

Hitachi Zosen will construct the plant in the Manila metropolitan area.

Municipal recycling programs "are the hubs of the reverse logistics needed to return valuable packaging to the supply chain," said The Recycling Partnership's director of corporate partnerships Jeff Meyers.

According to the Nikkei Asian Review, various Japanese non-ferrous metals companies are trying to make a business out of e-waste other countries want to get rid of.

Mineral processing company Mineworx said that it has developed a nontoxic leaching method that extracts precious metals from ores and e-waste. Mineworx said that this is safer for the environment than existing cyanide-based formulas.

IBM researchers said that they have identified a chemical catalyst that creates cheaper, biodegradable plastics from plants that can be used to make products such as eating utensils and medical devices. The researchers said that while biodegradable forks and spoons already exist on store shelves, consumers often choose inexpensive petroleum-based alternatives.

Data by the US International Trade Commission shows that the nation's steel scrap exports decreased significantly June.