“The Challenge”: Confronting a Brave New World! by Michael Lion, ITC Chairman and Host of The Challenge

Immediately following the official opening of the BIR World Recycling Convention 2022 in “Dazzling Dubai” by President Tom Bird, the event kicked off with the launching of the latest signature edition of BIR’s much acclaimed TV chat-show formula conversation “The Challenge”. The Three Amigos, the show’s resident host Michael Lion (Chair of the International Trade […]

International Environment Council: Opportunity for Industry to Gain from “Green” Activities

National recycling organisations are being urged to take steps to ensure the materials, machinery and equipment used by their members are recognised as “environmental goods” to benefit from potential financial incentives for activities contributing to environmental and climate protection goals. Members of the Bureau of International Recycling were told at their Convention in Dubai that […]

Plastics Committee: Middle East Gears Up for Plastics Recycling

A commitment to recycling plastics of all types is developing steadily in the Gulf, the BIR Plastics Committee heard at its meeting in Dubai on 18 October 2022. The insights came in a presentation from Bashar Ehsan Gadawala, Managing Director, Ala Group in the UAE entitled “Opportunities and challenges in plastic recycling in Middle East”. […]

Paper Division: Dramatic Price Falls as Mills Face Soaring Energy Costs

The implications of high energy prices were raised during several sessions at the BIR World Recycling Convention in Dubai but it was during the Paper Division plenary session on 18 October 2022 that the issue dominated proceedings. The tone was set immediately by Division President Francisco Donoso, of Dolaf Servicios Verdes S.L. of Spain in […]

Middle East “Being Transformed” by Producers’ Sustainability Drive

The increasing trend for primary producers to transition towards secondary metal feedstocks and more sustainable production processes was reinforced at the BIR Non-Ferrous Metals Division meeting in Dubai on 18 October, 2022. Presentations from two leading non-ferrous operators in the United Arab Emirates underlined this switch towards scrap, renewable energy sources, and customers increasingly prepared […]

The EU Should Reaffirm the Role of Waste-to-Energy in the Circular Economy

ESWET welcomes the European Commission’s 2023 Work Programme and the renewal of the Green Deal’s ambitions. The current energy crisis has brought to light the necessity and the urgency of accelerating the energy transition. This requires maximising the use of all clean sources of energy, including the affordable and efficient electricity and heat supplied by […]

Stainless Steel & Special Alloys Committee: New Applications Offer Promise of Bright Stainless Steel Future

Tackling excessive water leakage rates in major cities has been advocated as a way of boosting the stainless steel industry and offering fresh market opportunities for scrap recyclers and traders. The challenge of losing huge volumes of such a vital resource as water was set out at the BIR Stainless Steel and Special Alloys Committee […]

Ferrous Division: Shifting Markets for Scrap as Traders Look East

Ferrous markets have seen a remarkable turnaround in fortunes in the past year with EU steel production declining; Turkish production and steel scrap imports also down; and a contrasting growth in Indian scrap buying, BIR’s Ferrous Division was told in Dubai on October 17, 2022. In a presentation entitled “Steel scrap markets in 2022: Turkish […]

Ferrous Division: “World Steel Recycling in Figures” – Latest Update of the 13th Edition

During the recent meeting of the BIR Ferrous Division on 17 October 2022 in Dubai, Rolf Willeke, BIR Ferrous Statistics Advisor, outlined the key findings in the January-June 2022 update of the 13th edition of “World Steel Recycling in Figures”. Global crude steel production totalled 949.4 million tonnes in January-June 2022 for a decline of […]

UAE: New Battery Recycling Facility

As reported by Arabic and Indian media, Royal Gulf Industries – a subsidiary of Hyderabad Castings and part of Indian Nakhat Group – will construct a battery recycling center in Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone. The company would invest about 17 million US-Dollar (converted) to build the country’s first environmentally safe automotive battery recycling facility. […]