EU reclassification of recycled ferrous metal and aluminum

The European Commission is to reclassify recycled ferrous metals as well as aluminum as materials instead of waste.

The reclassification will mean that ferrous and aluminium scrap that is ready for remanufacture into new products is recognized in law as a valuable secondary raw material where previously it has been classed as waste. The decision has had widespread support across the European metals recycling industry.

Mr Ian Hetherington DG of British Metals Recycling Association said that "This is a landmark decision for the UK metals recycling industry and rewards 20 years of hard work by industry leaders with support from UK government. Hetherington went on to explain that the reclassification of furnace ready iron, steel and aluminium scrap as a raw material will be of great benefit to the industry and will lift some unnecessarily heavy regulatory burdens.”

He said that this puts UK and European metals recyclers on a level playing field in a highly competitive global market because ferrous metals and aluminium can be transported globally as a product without falling under rules such as the EU Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations.