BIR Report

BIR Announces Nonferrous Programming

The plenary session from the Nonferrous Metals Division of the BIR (Bureau of International Recycling) at the 2009 World Recycling Convention & Exhibition, scheduled for Tuesday, May 26, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has been designed to provide an overview of the world’s markets, show organizers say.

According to the BIR, speakers from three major business regions—China, India and Brazil—offer their insights into their respective markets and how they are coping with the global economic and financial crisis.

Bianca Vicintin Abud, international trade manager of Brazil’s Metalur Group, focuses her presentation on the secondary aluminum industry in Brazil. Metalur Group is one of the largest secondary aluminum alloy producers in Latin America with three smelters and one dross processing plant. In 2008, Metalur Group imported more than 28,800 metric tons of aluminum scrap.

Ujjwal Munjal, CEO of Rockman Industries of India, who also spoke at the 2008 BIR event in Monte Carlo, provides an overview of the Indian sub-continent’s nonferrous market activity. Rockman Industries is a manufacturer of high-precision castings and part of the Hero Group.

Freelance reporter Lili Shi, who previously worked for the China Nonferrous Industry Association, speaks about market conditions in China. She offers her views on the changes in China’s economy and its impact on the metals sector as well as on future demand of aluminum and copper.

In addition to these reports, BIR Nonferrous Metals Division board members provide updates from their respective countries and regions.

Indonesia to Address BIR’s Inspection Control Concerns

Senior Indonesian government officials have agreed to take the concerns of Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) members into consideration when preparing guidelines for quality inspections of all imported materials classified as "waste."

In March it was announced that, owing to quality problems associated with imports of commingled waste, Indonesia planned to introduce pre-shipment inspection requirements on all recyclables arriving in the country on or after June 24 of this year. The measure is designed to ensure global imports meet Indonesia’s waste import regulations as well as all international regulations.

In response, BIR’s Paper Division President Ranjit Baxi has held meetings in Jakarta with Diah Maulida, director general of foreign trade within Indonesia’s Ministry of Trade, and with Benny Wachjudi, director general at the Ministry of Industry. The meetings in Jakarta also were attended by the chairman of Indonesia’s paper producers’ trade association and by senior domestic mill representatives.

As of the meeting, the surveying guidelines had yet to be formalized. Both Maulida and Wachjudi confirmed that the views of BIR and its members would be taken into consideration when drafting these guidelines. The group discussed options to ensure a smooth transition to enhanced quality-control procedures.

The Indonesian government says it wants to ensure that imported recyclables are free from hazardous waste. Ministers also say they fully appreciate the need for continued imports of recyclables for use as raw material by the country’s industries.

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May 2009
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