| The forecast expects growth rates at 3 to 3.5 percent for 2014 and 2015.

| A report by Columbia University claims that there is great potential to increase energy drawn from waste in the U.S.

| According to the manufacturer, the new range named REFLEX is especially developed for the compacting and shearing of welded structures, white goods, car bodies, collected scrap and all kinds of non-ferrous metals.

| 3S International claims to be the only company using a Bluebox unit in the US.

| Aluminium company Hydro and Rio Tinto Alcan (RTA) have signed an agreement for Hydro to take over RTA's share of the aluminium smelter Sør-Norge Aluminium AS (Søral) in Norway.

| The Navy awarded a contract to International Shipbreaking Limited of Brownsville, Texas, for the towing, dismantling and recycling of conventionally powered aircraft carrier Constellation.

| The Confederation of European Waste-to-Energy Plants (CEWEP) embraces the Commission’s ambition to phase out landfilling of recyclable and recoverable waste and urges the decision makers to promote Quality Recycling.

| Nearly 70% of UK's energy-from-waste plants run with Metso's automation solutions.

| Concern is growing over widespread plastic waste that is threatening marine life – with conservative yearly estimates of $13 billion in financial damage to marine ecosystems, according to two reports issued at the inaugural meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly.

| There are grounds for greater optimism given improving prospects for steel demand and encouraging developments with regard to threatened scrap export restrictions, the BIR Ferrous Division meeting in Miami on June 4 was informed by its President, Christian Rubach of Germany-based TSR Recycling.

| Volumes of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) are rising rapidly - especially in emerging countries - and yet “there is not really a level playing field” when it comes to treatment standards, it was alleged at the latest BIR E-Scrap Committee meeting by Volker Pawlitzki, Senior Vice President of the Recycling/Precious Metals Business Unit of major Germany-based refiner Aurubis.

| So long as recycling is conducted in an environmentally sound manner, “let the markets decide the flow of goods”, urged BIR Plastics Committee Chairman Surendra Borad of Belgium-based Gemini Corporation NV in his introductory comments to the latest meeting, held in Miami.

| Extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes have gained significant traction in France but, in their current form, pose a number of risks for recycling companies, the BIR International Environment Council (IEC) meeting in Miami was told by Alfred Rosales, Executive Director of French recycling federation FEDEREC.

| “Hurdles to free trade are detrimental to economic growth and also to our companies,” declared BIR Paper Division President Reinhold Schmidt of Germany-based Recycling Karla Schmidt in opening the latest meeting, held on June 3 in Miami.

| The BIR Convention in Miami had attracted more than 1200 participants from 63 countries - “a great achievement given the still very difficult market conditions”, World President Björn Grufman of Sweden-based Metallvärden AB told the world recycling organisation’s General Assembly.