BIR Report

BIR Releases Report on Regulatory Landscapes in China, India
The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR), based in Brussels, has released an update to its report on the legal and regulatory landscape in India and China.

Bryan Cave International Consulting, the Singapore-based customs and trade consultancy BIR commissioned to produce regular reports on the legal and regulatory landscape in India and China, has published its fifth report. The report is available exclusively for BIR member companies.

All Bryan Cave International reports are available in the "Members' Area" legislation pages on the BIR website, www.bir.org, which also provides regular information about legislative developments in Asia.

Specific updates about shipping scrap and recyclables to China and AQSIQ-registered companies are available under the heading "China legislation."

BIR reminds its members that the copyrighted report is not to be circulated as a whole or in parts to persons outside BIR without the express agreement of both BIR and Bryan Cave International.

BIR was founded in 1948 as a federation designed to support the interests of the recycling industry on an international scale. Today, BIR represents more than 750 member companies from the private sector and 40 national associations in more than 70 countries. Together, these members form the largest international recycling federation, according to BIR.

More information is available at www.bir.org.

BIR Prepares for Autumn Round-Tables
The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) reports that early bird registrations for its Autumn Round-Table Sessions, scheduled for Oct. 24-25 in Munich, are numbering in excess of 600 delegates as of mid-September. The BIR also notes that rooms are selling out at the Westin Grand.

According to BIR, the number of attendees is expected to number more than 1,000, and additional rooms in nearby hotels will be proposed by conference organizer CPO Hanser.

"Munich is a very attractive convention destination," Convention Committee Chairman Mark Sellier says. "This, together with favorable business conditions, explains why we have so many registrations while demand keeps increasing."

Guest speakers include Tata Steel Europe CEO Karl-Ulrich Köhler and HSBC Trinkaus Chief Economist Stefan Schilbe. The Nonferrous Metals Division has invited John Woehlke, general manager of Evermore Recycling, an independent company formed by Novelis and Alcoa to procure used aluminum beverage cans (UBCs), to speak at the event.

During a special workshop scheduled for Monday, Oct. 24, at 5:30 p.m., BIR plans to introduce its new arbitration rules and to illustrate the advantages of the organization's arbitration service.

The BIR Plastics Committee will dedicate part of its plenary session to a workshop on WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment). Guest speaker Rainer Koehnlechner of Hamos GmbH will talk about "Separation Technologies for Mixed Plastic Scrap from WEEE."

More information on the conference is available at www.bir.org.