Michael Brunn

Recycling polyolefins—a common type of thermoplastics—in Europe costs more than twice as much as producing virgin polyolefins today. Market forces alone are insufficient to drive change, as customer demand is highly price sensitive and volumes are too limited to generate substantial cost benefits.

Mr Mellor said that "with over 90% of global steel production now originating from countries with strong decarbonisation targets, the demand for low carbon materials has never been greater. As metal recyclers, we are perfectly positioned as key enablers of this transition, but our impact must be demonstrated with robust credible data, data that not only quantifies our environmental footprint but also the transformative value of recycled metal in producing true green steel."

"We are more visible and better connected than ever before, with a strengthened secretariat and a dynamic professional advocacy team," she enthused. "BIR is now totally engaged in key international arenas — from the United Nations to the OECD and the European Union — ensuring our industry's voice is heard at the highest level."

At the BIR Ferrous Division meeting in Valencia, Divisional President Shane Mellor announced the release of the 16th edition of "World Steel Recycling in Figures", covering the five-year period from 2020 to 2024.

Protecting workers should be the top priority for any employer, especially those on the front line of materials processing. Beyond the substantial financial consequences of a workplace injury or fatality, the impacts are felt profoundly by an employee's family, their coworkers, and the wider community.

Recyclers face significant challenges, including low market demand for recycled materials, a lack of incentives, and an increasingly hostile regulatory environment. A recent EU ban on polymeric infill for sports fields — one of the main end markets for ELT-derived rubber — has further threatened the viability of tyre recycling in Europe.

Air pollutants are considered one of the main causes of numerous diseases and pose a significant environmental risk, making it essential to find solutions to mitigate this issue. The DACCO2 project, led by Aimplas, aims to improve urban air quality by significantly reducing pollutants in both indoor and outdoor environments through the development of active coatings capable of directly adsorbing and/or transforming these pollutants into less harmful compounds.

A new coalition on green public procurement (GPP) — Buy Better to Build Better (BBBB) — has been launched on May 20 at an event in the European Parliament. Bringing together 35 stakeholders from across the construction value chain, civil society, and public authorities, the coalition aims to make green public procurement the default approach in Europe's construction sector.

More than 7,650 tonnes of waste vinyl flooring have been collected and recycled through Recofloor since the scheme was founded by Altro and Polyflor in 2009. This has produced 8,974 tonnes of carbon savings - equivalent to taking 2,342 cars off the road for a year (this carbon savings estimate is based on displacing concrete in traffic management products, the main application for the recycled flooring).

Develon has introduced a new waste and recycling Kit for the company's DL-7 range of wheel loaders. It is designed to help operators work safely in the hazardous conditions that often accompany waste handling and recycling applications, including contending with airborne dust, dirt and other dangerous particulates and materials.