Recycling: Opportunities in Times of Covid-19

Interest in recycling is still unabated: The high level was reflected in the attendance at eREC, the new digital expo and conference, which serves as a virtual platform for the international recycling industry. The first edition of eREC was generally well-received. Between 31st August and 5th September this year, nearly 4,450 persons signed up for the new “Digital Recycling Expo and Conference for Circular Economy and Waste Management”, and more than 3,000 visitors attended the webinars. The next eREC expos will take place in May and October 2021 (www.erec.info).

In times of the Covid-19 pandemic with the social distance requirements, international business negotiations are performed via media like the internet. In this respect, online communication and its continually rising significance have led to a worldwide increase in the number of transactions using e-commerce. That applies to the recycling industry as well.

It is not without reason that many market indicators – despite the worldwide crisis caused by the coronavirus – are showing “a stable increase in activity levels among leading industries”, as stated by the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) in September concerning the construction and white goods sectors. These lines of business are, for example, important to stainless steel producers and their raw material suppliers. In China, industry operations have returned to normal, the world recycling association wrote in September. Although, the details for the new “recycled materials” qualification system regarding copper, brass, and cast aluminum alloys had to be officially announced. The non-ferrous metal scrap generation in Mexico is also improving, but not quite at the pace of demand. Regarding ferrous scrap, the corresponding industry would see “very little impact” from Covid-19. But there is still uncertainty in other sectors: textiles, plastics, tires, and rubber. The paper and board sector both enjoy high demand from the mills in Europe and Asia.

There are more opportunities. Jamaica begins with measures for green Covid-19 recovery and intends to improve its waste management (page 5 in this issue). Australia is on its way to implement a circular economy (page 20), and Scotland has, too, set ambitious targets (page 26). Brine, a residue of desalination, contains not only salts but also magnesium, gypsum, sodium chloride, calcium, potassium, chlorine, bromine, and lithium (page 30). Moreover, learn more about the pelletizing disc SCARABAEUS from page 38 onwards. It is suitable and in multiple uses for the transmission of fine-grained particles into larger agglomerates with defined particle size distribution.

We hope you get a lot of new and useful information from reading this current magazine.

Yours, Brigitte Weber