Glass
This month has seen prices for MRF other drop off to a midpoint of negative £5, while remelt has seen prices support from the PRN. This can likely be attributed to the situation at Recresco. The remelt price has softened by £4 per tonne.
Meanwhile, green bottle prices took a dip to a range of £5 to £30. Mixed bottle also dropped by £4 from a top end of £40 to £36.
Overall, there is a lot of material moving through the system, and high demand for product.
View our more detailed glass price index here.
Metals
Metals prices have been more subdued this month, with ferrous grades, aluminium cans and steel cans either remaining stable or continuing to see prices call amid weaker demand.
Aluminium can prices have been supported by an increase in the LME aluminium price, although smelter shutdowns in Europe have reduced demand for the material.
Domestic demand for steel cans has also fallen, although this has been offset by stronger demands from export markets.
Non-ferrous prices have seen a small recovery following the falls recorded last month, with some copper and brass grades increasing to the highest price recorded.
View our more detailed metal price index here.
Organics
The increase of anaerobic digestion gate-fees has continued in August, as food waste continues to need to find a home following the rollout of mandatory household food waste collections under Simpler Recycling. Current capacity has become very constrained, and with no major projects expected to significantly increase processing capacity soon, further pressure is expected to come onto available anaerobic digestion infrastructure.
View our more detailed organics price index here.
Plastics
Plastics prices remain strong this month and have not fallen as is typical in August. This is largely due to price support from the plastics PRN which has jumped in value from around £400 in July to around £500 at present.
This has helped to push prices up for some grades including film and kept other prices stable for grades such as PET, which has seen its normal seasonal reduction in demand.
Additionally, it has helped offset some of the reduction in demand from Europe, where many plants have summer shut downs.
View our more detailed plastics price index here.
Textiles
Decreases have been recorded across HWRC textile banks, bring site textile banks, and the price for delivering to a sorting plant.
Notably, the price for collecting from HWRCs has now fully fallen to a gate fee of £5.
The second-hand textiles sector has continued to face tough economic conditions in recent years.
The industry is being flooded by “ultra-fast fashion” produced by brands like Shein and Temu which has reduced the quality of second-hand clothing while at the same time increasing supply.
At the same time, end markets such as those in Eastern Europe and the Middle East have been disrupted due to ongoing geopolitical tensions, including the ongoing Iran-US conflict.
Most recently, the Environment Agency introduced strict new rules around the export of used textiles, meaning merchants are having to dedicate extra resources to sorting processes.
The industry is also looking at substantial clear-up costs for fly tipping around textile banks as they struggle to keep up with the demand for collections.
View our more detailed textiles price index here.
Wood
The wood market has remained challenging this month, with an abundance of waste wood in circulation and some sites beginning to restrict incoming volumes as a result. Seasonal factors are also playing a role, as this time of year typically sees planned downtime at a number of end-use facilities, reducing demand for material compared with other periods.
Recycling sites are currently operating with high stock levels and, in many cases, have limited remaining capacity. This has further reduced appetite for additional waste wood feedstock, creating a more difficult market for suppliers looking to move material.
As a result of these capacity constraints and softer demand, disposal costs have continued to rise, with suppliers increasingly having to pay more to place wood material. Unless demand improves or stock levels begin to reduce, the market is likely to remain under pressure in the short term.
View our more detailed wood price index here.
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