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NEWS
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| | | BHP Billiton’s Launched Takeover of Rio Tinto Encounters Resistance | |
| MELBOURNE / LONDON | Mining giant BHP Billiton, headquartered in Melbourne, has shocked the markets by making a proposition to its equally powerful rival Rio Tinto of London to merge all activities for synergies benefits. Both companies are listed in Australia as well as the UK. BHP’s initially friendly approach was rebutted by Rio when details were disclosed. After learning that BHP was offering three of its own shares for every Rio share in a veritable buyout attempt, the board of directors in London rejected the offer as too low, effectively qualifying the takeover ambitions as hostile. |
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| | | Chilean Copper Becomes Cheaper for Chinese Buyers | |
| SANTIAGO DE CHILE | The state-run Chilean company Codelco – the world’s largest copper producer – will, according to an analyst, lower the premium it is charging Chinese buyers of refined copper by 26 percent to $99 per tonne in 2008. Last year, the benchmark premium had been between $130 and $135. The premium is added to the price of copper for delivery in three months as fixed by the London Metal Exchange. |
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| | | European Sorters Report Strong Demand for Used Textiles | |
| BRUSSELS | After some difficulties during the summer months, demand for used textiles in Europe has improved considerably throughout autumn. Sorting companies are eagerly looking for raw material as collection volumes are failing to fully satisfy demand. As a result, even original material of a lesser quality is continuing to sell well, says Martin Böschen of Texaid in Switzerland in a BIR newsletter. The new phase of activity might also have an influence on selling prices, particularly of the lower qualities. |
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| | | Brussels Attacks Bulgaria for Weak Waste Infrastructure in Sofia | |
| BRUSSELS / SOFIA | The European Commission has decided to launch an infringement procedure against Bulgaria over inadequate waste management infrastructure in Sofia. The capital lacks a recovery and disposal system for household waste. The situation threatens human health and the environment. Bulgaria should have complied with the relevant EU waste legislation since its accession in January 2007. |
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| | | Indian Industry for an E-Waste Ban in Delhi Area | |
| NEW DELHI | The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) has proposed a ban on e-waste dumping in and around Delhi, particularly for Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka – to help retain the sites’ natural beauty. Also, legislation to prevent the entry of child labour into e-waste collection, segregation and distribution shall be furthered. |
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| | | Crude Steel Production Soars in Asia, Falters in Europa | |
| BRUSSELS | In October, world crude steel production has been 114.0 million tonnes. The figure was determined by the International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI) based on reports from 67 countries. It is a 6.6% increase on October 2006. Total world production is 1,101 million tonnes for the first ten months of 2007, an increase of 8.1% over the same period of 2006. |
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| | | Wood Waste Power Plant Opens as the ‘First of Many’ in the UK | |
| MIDDLESBROUGH, UK | Sembcorp Utilities has opened the UK’s first large wood waste power plant in Middlesbrough. National Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks unveiled the £60 million plant on the Wilton International manufacturing site. Wicks said it was a ‘forerunner’ for how the UK should produce energy in the future. This fuelled expectation that the ‘Wilton 10’ will only be the first of many large-scale woodburning biomass plants to be built in the country. |
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FEATURE
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| | | WRF in Shanghai - Bridging the Gap | |
| For the third time, the World Recycling Forum took place in Shanghai from 13 to 16 November. The conference is an important meeting point for clients and competitors of the recycling business - a chance to network, but also to take the pulse of China’s booming recycling industry. Our correspondent Kristina Reiss attended the conference and witnessed some discussions that sounded familiar. |
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FACES
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| | | Sabine Flamme - Trusting the Market | |
| In its waste hierarchy, the European Union has given material recycling priority over thermal recycling. Although the order of prevention, reuse, material recycling, energy recovery and disposal is not binding, the discussion is centred on this classification. The European Parliament wants to make it mandatory – typical of the European regulating frenzy, say representatives within the industry. |
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ANALYSIS
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| | | E-Waste in China - For the Sake of China’s Children | |
| Many Chinese are becoming aware of their country’s e-waste problem. A recent scientific study has conjured a nightmare among concerned citizens that the drive for immediate profit from e-waste recycling may leave the country with a generation of poisoned children. For RECYCLING m@gazine, Yingling Liu, China Programme Manager at the Worldwatch Institute, looks into the matter. |
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DATA
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SECTIONS
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| | | Editorial | |
| A Blessing, Curse or Both - China is Buying E-Waste by the Tonne but Can the Country Cope with these Volumes? |
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