Regulating aluminium and steel recycling

In 2010 new End of Waste regulations are expected to come into force that will see metal that is ready for smelting, rolling or other industrial use taken out of the scope of waste regulations and re-categorised as secondary raw material.

Ian Hetherington joined the BMRA as director general in April 2009. He previously worked as chief executive of Skills for Logistics, the sector skills council for businesses involved in planning, moving and handling goods – an industry worth £74 billion to the economy and employing over 2 million people.

This summer the European Commission is meeting with metal industry representatives to determine the definitions to be applied to metals planned to be taken out of the waste regulations. BMRA will be at these talks, representing its members in discussions about the first two waste streams the Commission is looking to re-categorise: aluminium and steel.

There is a lot of work to be done to ensure that the detail of the regulations will be appropriate for UK businesses. And we anticipate a spirited debate over the use of European Standards for describing aluminium and ferrous materials, particularly as the UK frequently employs other recognised standards.

These End of Waste talks will have a major impact on the future of our industry not least because the new regulations will remove the requirement for waste shipment controls. This change will finally allow EU recyclers to compete on a level playing field with non EU countries such as the USA and Japan, who already recognise metals as non waste.

I shall be asking my colleagues at the negotiations to work with BMRA to ensure that Europe develops End of Waste regulations within a reasonable timeframe, and that regulation is backed by an implementation process that supports rather than hinders the global trade in recycled metals.

Metal recycling is an activity that brings £5 billion into the UK and makes a substantial contribution to the nation's ability to hit European Directive targets on End of Life Vehicles, WEEE, Packaging and Batteries. BMRA will be working to secure End of Waste regulations that support the continued growth and development of metals recycling – an activity that has substantial economic and environmental benefits.