David Sheppard, a commercial director at EMR Ltd., says the established ferrous market also is part of the circular economy.

When a member of the public decides to recycle his or her end-of-life vehicle, washing machine, dishwasher, fridge or other consumer product with EMR, the steel or iron (known as ferrous metal) it contains joins a circular economy that supplies the next generation of products, buildings and vehicles. 

Consumer products aren’t the only sources of ferrous metal. EMR also collects and processes metal from demolition sites, decommissioned oil rigs and ships, as well as the offcuts from steelmakers themselves as they trim and resize metals in the manufacturing process. 

Recycling ferrous metal as sustainably as possible means ensuring our operations are as efficient as possible. To achieve this outcome, EMR must focus on two things: reducing the contaminants in ferrous materials so that the steelworks have a high purity product to melt and increasing the density to ensure the maximum volume of material is loaded for each batch that is melted. 

The biggest cost after the material itself–and one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions–is transport. But, how can our business ensure the maximum amount of material is delivered for recycling for every journey made and also meet the objectives of providing a clean dense product for the steel mills so they can be less reliant on the nature-depleting virgin iron ore?

One process is by shredding the ferrous metal, breaking it down into small pieces. This is particularly useful where an item is more complex and is made up of several different materials. Shredding allows EMR to recover plastics, nonferrous and other materials from the steel via our sophisticated mechanical separation techniques. 

The environmental benefits of producing cleaner, purer recycled steel mean that shredding and the separation of shredded steel is a major focus of investment for EMR. By expanding the supply chain for this high-quality recycled steel grade with a more precise chemistry, our business can play a vital role in the creation of ‘green steel’. Green steel is produced with much lower carbon emissions but can still perform to the high standards required for modern electric vehicles and appliances and in sustainable construction. 

We are developing methods to separate elements such as copper that would otherwise contaminate the tight chemistry specifications that are required in the finished steel grades. The copper and other metals that we separate from the steel also can be recycled for use in wiring or electronic devices. The same goes for the plastics that we recover from the shredding process.

In addition to shredding, EMR also processes metal via baling. This is where high-powered machines compress the material into tightly packed cubes. This, again, creates an efficient way of transporting the material to steel mills as well as allowing the steel mill to use more scrap in each melting cycle with the improved density of the material.

Finally, for larger pieces of metal–often from the demolition industry–there is shearing, which can cut the material down to a more workable size. Metal mills usually have strict sizing requirements for any ferrous metal entering their foundries. Where metals are too thick to be cut by our shears, EMR teams can “burn,” or cut it, using a high-temperature torch cutter to create manageable pieces for processing. 

Again, by delivering metals at the size required, EMR can ensure this important element of the circular supply chain runs smoothly and efficiently.  

Once recycled steel leaves EMR, it will be sent to steelmakers around the world. EMR maintains strong, long-term relationships with all the businesses we work with to ensure that the sustainability and safety of their operations match our own high standards.    

Historically, most steel has been made in a blast furnace via the basic oxygen furnace (BOF) process. Increasingly, however, steelmakers are using electric arc furnaces (EAFs), which can be operated with a high percentage of recycled steel and without the direct use of fossil fuels. This process results in around a 70 percent carbon reduction. Most steelmakers are trying to increase the amount of recycled steel they use, and this requires recyclers like EMR to continuously improve the specifications of their products

This is why EMR’s investment in creating purer, shredded steel is so important, not just for our business but also for the planet. 

And it fits with EMR’s wider pledge to become a net zero business by 2040, a commitment that is being tracked by some of the world’s most eminent climate scientists through the Science Based Targets Initiative. We’re already transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy and, wherever possible, EMR is replacing diesel-powered machinery with alternatives that can run on green electricity.  

We know that people put their trust in recyclers like EMR whenever they bring end-of-life items to our depots. The investments our business is making at every stage of the recycling process means you can rest assured that EMR is both a responsible and sustainable choice, whether you are bringing us an old, broken washing machine or are saying goodbye to a much-loved family car.

The author is commercial director-ferrous for United Kingdom-based EMR Ltd. That firm has scrap processing facilities in the U.K., the United States, Germany and the Netherlands.

The company’s i3 was one of few sold globally with carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic exterior components.

Germany-based BMW GmbH has disclosed it is ceasing production of its electrically or hybrid-powered i3 hatchback. The model had, for about eight years, been one of the only widely available passenger cars made entirely with carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) exterior or body components.

An article posted to the Australian website CarExpert.com says a BMW spokesperson has confirmed production of the model is being halted after it has sold about 250,000 units worldwide.

That sales figure puts the model far down the leaderboard globally, but the i3 can be said to have had a cult following, with its demise being widely reported. The website of the BBC TV show “Top Gear,” in an early July blog post, calls it an “innovative little” car whose demise had been rumored. However, the preceding rumor “doesn’t make BMW’s announcement that production has ended any easier to take,” writes Greg Potts of “Top Gear.”

For auto recyclers and shredder operators, the phasing out of the model might be greeted with a sigh of relief. Whether because of recycling percentage mandates in the EU or market incentives globally, a plastic-bodied car is not necessarily a welcome sight at auto shredding facilities designed to make their profits on steel and aluminum recycling.

Beyond the end-of-life-vehicle recycling difficulties posed by the i3, an extended supply chain to bring CFRP to the vehicle’s assembly site in Leipzig, Germany, might have been a bigger headache to BMW.

According to CarExpert.com, “In the process of production, the raw material required for CFRP was shipped from Japan to a dedicated plant in Moses Lake, Washington, [on the West Coast of the United States] for processing, and then shipped to Germany for fabrication and installation.”

The winding down of i3 output does not necessarily mean the end of plastic’s challenge to sheet metal in the automotive world. CarExpert quotes a BMW spokesperson as saying the model “goes down in the company’s history as a pioneer of sustainable mobility.” The same article also indicates BMW’s engineers had learned “many new processes it could use for its future vehicles.”

The future of CFRP in mass-market vehicles remains unclear. An 11-page paper presented at a 2020 Institute of Physics Publishing (IOP) conference refers only to BMW as a user of the material for components such as roof panels.

Recyclops aims to make it easier for homeowners to access recycling services and recycle hard-to-recycle products, such as plastic bags, batteries and light bulbs.

The Larry H. Miller Co. (LHM Co.), headquartered in Sandy, Utah, has invested in Recyclops Inc., a technology startup that creates sustainability solutions, starting with recycling.

Launched in 2014 by CEO Ryan Smith, Recyclops, Orem, Utah, applies technology to environmental logistics, collecting hard-to-recycle materials and providing scaling strategies to expand recycling in rural areas.

LHM will partner with Recyclops to use its service in its residential community developments to improve sustainability efforts in recycling and reuse. Recyclops is in 30 different states and in 2021 enabled families to recycle and reuse more than 1.4 million pounds of waste, diverting it from landfills.

"The LHM Co. is excited to invest in Recyclops and the team Ryan has built. We believe in their service offering and its potential to not only grow as a business but to offer an innovative approach and encourage stewardship," LHM Co. Chief Strategy Officer Dave Smith says. "Recyclops is delivering easy-to-use solutions to homeowners and businesses, ensuring we reduce the amount of waste in our landfills and oceans and expand recycling to materials that weren't available under conventional methods."

Nearly 40 percent of American households do not have access to convenient recycling. Additionally, existing programs are only able to recycle 10 percent to 45 percent of household waste.

Ryan Smith of Recyclops says he’s committed to his mission to make sustainability a convenient reality in an accessible manner.

"The Larry H. Miller Co.’s mission to enrich lives is something that resonates deeply with Recyclops and what we've set out to do as a company," he says. "I am thrilled to have the LHM Co. as an investor in our seed round. Their growth capital will help us expand our service. We look forward to working with such a pillar in the community."

LHM’s investment supports Recyclops' introduction of a new, beyond-the-bin recycling service, Recyclops+, for hard-to-recycle materials, such as thermoformed plastic fruit and salad containers, plastic film and bags, lightbulbs, batteries, polystyrene foam, textiles and clothing. Recyclops+ will collect, transport, reuse and recycle these materials from homes along the Wasatch Front, specifically in Salt Lake and Utah counties.

German shredder producer says it now employs about 190 people to serve the global recycling market.

Leimbach, Germany-based shredder manufacturer Arjes GmbH says in just 15 years it has grown to become a leading supplier of industrial shredders for the recycling industry, “meeting growing global challenges of the numerous mountains of waste of a wide variety of materials.” In the United States, Arjes shredders are distributed by Michigan-based Bandit Industries.

The company was founded in 2007 by Norbert Hammel, whom Arjes describes as a pioneer of twin-shaft crushing and shredding. He bought the site of an old concrete factory in Leimbach and converted it into a shredder production facility that started with 19 employees.

Today, Arjes describes the headquarters site as “a buzzing operation with just about 190 employees.” The company, which started with a shredder for scrap wood, continues to develop, optimize and expand its machinery to be able to shred a wider variety of materials today, including metal, mixed materials and concrete.

“The thing that makes our machines so unique is their mobility, their wide range of applications and the fact that they are very easy to handle,” says Martin Priewe from the Arjes marketing department. “We are a relatively young company, but we have been able to grow very quickly over the last 15 years due to our commitment and willingness to innovate. Every machine we develop is a progression of the previous one. Hence our motto ‘Innovation is what keeps us thriving.’”

In 2016, Arjes launched the Impaktor 250, its first machine designed to crush stone and concrete. It also was also the first machine to be equipped with an Arjes quick-change system for shafts.

“With the development of the Impaktor 250, we wanted to clearly stand out from our competitors," says Christian Hennig, operations manager at Arjes. “We researched the market and questioned the needs of our customers. Many stated that it was difficult to change the shredding shafts and that this affected the daily work output.”

Arjes says healthy demand for its mobile shredding plants means it will continue to develop its product line “in order to be able to maintain the successful course in the future.”

EU recycling goals can be met with private sector expertise, trade associations there say.

Organizations representing recycling companies and producers of paper and board in Europe have pledged to recycle 76 percent of all paper consumed on that continent by 2030.

Representatives from several European recycling and paper organizations gathered in Brussels in late June and made the commitment as part of a European Paper Recycling Awards ceremony there.

“The recycling rates we have already reached put paper and board as industry frontrunners,” comments Ulrich Leberle, secretary of the Brussels-based European Paper Recycling Council (EPRC). “Both ongoing initiatives and planned steps will allow us to close the circular economy loop even further. The innovative projects presented yesterday at the EPRC Awards are timely examples of what it will take to get there.”

In its news release pertaining to the commitment, the Brussels-based Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI), which represents paper and board producers, states, “The new, ambitious recycling rate of 76 percent, calculated by dividing the recycling of used paper by the total paper and board consumption, should be reached by the year 2030. It represents a best-in-class performance both at global level and across material industries, as paper and board is the most recycled material in Europe.”

The commitment is contained within a document called the new European Declaration on Paper Recycling 2021-2030, say the organizations. That document “sets out measures to optimize the management of paper at every step of a continuous recycling loop,” the EPRC and CEPI say.

The organizations say that recycling loop “entails a variety of operations, from paper and board manufacturing, its conversion into products and prints, through to its collection, sorting and recycling. Each step in the process is a distinct industrial sector with only some degree of horizontal integration, making cooperation a must to reach the ambitious recycling target.”

The industry groups that have co-signed the declaration, however, also point to what they call “several enabling conditions from EU and local authorities [that] need to be met.” According to the EPRC and CEPI, these include limiting the use of discarded paper for energy recovery purposes and to “ensure that paper is separately collected to preserve the quality of the material.”

Calling separate paper collection “a prerequisite” for higher levels of recycling, the organizations say source-separated collection “needs to be further promoted.” At the same time, the coalition says it is also “pushing boundaries” to identify additional paper and board products that can be recycled.

Two recent European Paper Recycling Award winning projects tackle these challenges, says the coalition. EnEWA, a research and development project financed by the German Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, was awarded for focusing on “the optimization of sorting, cleaning and recycling paper even when it is mixed with other residual household or commercial waste.”

Awarded in the “information and education” category, the multi-stakeholder CELAB project is described by EPRC as “a cross-industry initiative to recycle self-adhesive labels.”

“The projects or campaigns competing for the awards are all game-changers in the way we recycle paper in Europe,” comments Annick Carpentier, board chair of the EPRC. “They will contribute to achieving our ambitious goal of a 76 percent paper recycling rate by 2030. This is an ambitious target and every piece of paper and board bringing us closer to it counts.”

Circular economy goals, strategies and policies in Europe will be a key topic of discussion at the 2022 Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference Europe, to be held in mid-November in Rotterdam, Netherlands.