Steel production may be picking up again after the COVID-19 pandemic sent it reeling. Steel producers and market followers project an increasingly strong recovery as economies reopen. “As economies are reopening without a vaccine or cure in place, significant downside risks exist. If the virus can be contained without second…
Recyclers seek relief from PSR charges
Recyclers are pushing federal regulators for relief from demurrage fees associated with precision scheduled railroading. Lobbyists and representatives from recycling companies want the Surface Transportation Board to require railroads to revisit PSR-related practices that have increased transportation costs for shippers. Seeking to streamline operations, the nation’s largest railroads are giving…
China Drives Out Copper Processors
China’s clampdown on copper imports is driving processors to other Asian countries. Exports could follow. Suppliers and processors of scrap copper have sought opportunities elsewhere since China lowered the permissible contaminant threshold for copper imports to 1 percent. Seeking to protect its environment and improve its domestic recycling efforts, China…
Trump Gets Aluminum Report
President Donald Trump has three months to determine how far he will go to protect U.S. aluminum producers. Trump could levy tariffs or impose quotas if he were to determine that doing so would be in the interest of national security. Federal investigators for the Department of Commerce submitted the…
Database Helps E-scrap Recycling
A new online tool could make e-scrap recycling easier. Recyclers and scrappers can now get breakdowns of the types of recyclable materials in a device, as well as estimates of the quantities. The Urban Mine Platform displays all available data on products put on the market, stocks, composition and waste…
2018 Steel Market Forecast
The World Steel Association projects that global steel demand will increase by 1.6 percent in 2018 to 1,648.1 million tonnes (Mt). Demand increased by 2.8 percent in 2017,worldsteel noted in its steel market forecast for 2017. “Progress in the global steel market this year to date has been encouraging,” T.V. Narendran, Chairman…
Mutilated Coin Program to Resume
Recyclers will once again be able to make money by redeeming recovered coins. The U.S. Mint is relaunching its Mutilated Coin Redemption Program after a two-year hiatus. The Mint suspended the program in November 2015 due to counterfeiting fears. Recycling industry officials have since pushed for its return. “The resumption…
Tax Reform May Help Recyclers
Recyclers could benefit from the tax reform bill that has been signed by President Donald Trump. The reforms include a reduction in the corporate tax rate as well as changes in how certain types of income and expenses are handled. Legislators lowered the corporate tax rate to 21 percent from…
China eases scrap ban
China’s recent announcement that it will not be as strict in banning scrap materials as it once indicated has not resolved the recycling industry’s concerns. Officials still worry that the tightening of scrap supplies to China could affect the industry worldwide. China’s move to ban or reduce its paper and…
Flooding Impacts Auto Market
Automotive recyclers and salvage yards may be deluged by vehicles damaged by the hurricanes that have hit southern states in recent months. Massive flooding in Houston and surrounding areas hit by Hurricane Harvey caused widespread damage to vehicles. Cox Automotive estimates that 300,000 to 500,000 cars were damaged, according to…