Fires caused by the batteries we throw away are causing a major crisis for the waste and resource management sector, taxpayers and the communities in which they occur. In 2023, there were more than 1,200 fires caused, or suspected to be caused, by batteries at UK waste and recycling facilities or in collection vehicles (Material Focus, 2024), an increase of…
As they are non-biodegradable, plastics accumulate in the environment, altering habitats and natural processes. Millions of wildlife are also trapped by plastic waste every year. When plastics break down, they release toxic compounds that contaminate the environment. They also disintegrate into small pieces of plastic called microplastics. Microplastics are now found all over the globe and are linked to severe…
“Sort4Circle” is the acronym of the technology that has emerged from consistent research and development and is now to be demonstrated as a pilot plant in Freiburg. In the development project, which is funded by the state of Baden-Württemberg as part of the Invest BW funding line, the state-owned Umwelttechnik BW GmbH is also involved as an associated partner in…
The project will increase the facility’s recycling capacity for UBC by 85 kilotonnes per year, equalling a growth of more than 100%. The investment includes the construction of a new dross house, three new bag houses, and the installation of shredding, sorting, de-coating, and melting technologies. This enables the plant to recycle a larger volume and new types of aluminium…
Changes in the material properties, such as residual moisture, grain shape or conductivity, can be counteracted with this automatic control technology. Splitcontrol ensures consistently high-yield rates and high operational stability. Manual interventions to correct the separating splitter can be reduced to a minimum. Steinert Splitcontrol can be incorporated as an additional option when configuring a new Steinert non-ferrous metals separator.…
The Liebherr Group’s wheel loader production plant in Bischofshofen employs 1,200 people on a site covering 170,000 m². With its present capacity, up to 7,000 wheel loaders can be produced each year. In the medium term, the company expects demand to reach 10,000 units per year, which means that production capacity has to be expanded. “Our site is beside the…
These updates follow intensive testing commissioned earlier this year with a focus on a comprehensive alignment of the Guidelines’ structure. The review included a restructuring of the decoration sections, in particular, to clarify the impact of inks and labels on recycling. ‘Considering the recent legislative developments at the European level, RecyClass is more committed than ever to provide the industry…
Of this, 19.9 million tons were blast furnace slag (BFS) and 15.9 million tons were steelwork slag (SWS). Thanks to an additional 0.6 million tons of stockpile reduction, a total of 20.5 million tons of BFS and 13.3 million tonnes of SWS were used primarily as building materials and fertilizers as well as in metallurgy. As a result, the by-products…
The long-term upward trend resumed after the exceptional years of 2020 and 2021 (COVID-19). However, 2022 remains notable due to the situation in the energy markets. The decline in total environmental tax revenues from 2021 to 2022 was primarily due to a decrease (-€15.1 billion) in energy tax revenues, which totalled €243 billion in 2022. On the other hand, pollution…
Recent and upcoming European legislation and directives as for WEEE and automotive components are guiding the polymer industry towards circular economy and a higher degree of usage of recycled polymers. While recyclers are improving with technologies to separate plastic waste and to develop new compounds out of PIR (post-industrial recycling) and PCR (post consumer recycling) materials, the processing industry has…
Carsten Heuer joined REHAU Industries SE & Co. KG. in 2017, where he is also a member of the Executive Board. Before joining REHAU Industries, he was Managing Director at Schollglas Holding and Executive Senior Vice-President at Schüco International KG. Carsten Heuer joined the VinylPlus Steering Board in 2023. Carsten Heuer succeeds Myriam Tryjefaczka, Tarkett, in the role. The VinylPlus…
Emmanuel Katrakis is Director of Public and Regulatory Affairs at longstanding BIR member company Galloo Group. He is a well-known figure within BIR and the international recycling community, having previously served as Secretary General of EuRIC, which he joined at its inception in 2014. He significantly developed EuRIC into the definitive voice of the European recycling industry, bridging the industry…
