Europe steel body asks EU to safeguard imports of metal scrap

Eurofer has asked Commission to watch and act on trade barriers

* Recyclers, scrap traders are worried by increasing protectionism

* About 30 countries including Ukraine, Russia restrict exports

LONDON, June 7 (Reuters) - Europe's steel industry association Eurofer has asked the EU's executive Commission to monitor and possibly act against nations outside the bloc which restrict exports of raw materials such as scrap, saying such barriers are unfair.

"We have recently sent a letter to the Commission saying that they should monitor those countries that are restricting exports of scrap and other raw materials and then possibly put some measures against this," Eurofer's Axel Eggert told Reuters.

"We want to have a level playing field because this is harming our industry."

Eggert did not name countries which were retaining scrap for their own use but an economist at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said about 30 countries restrict the scrap exports.

Some of these include Ukraine, Russia, Vietnam, Venezuela and Argentina, said Barbara Fliess, senior economist in the Trade and Agriculture Directorate of the OECD.

Eggert said Eurofer, which says it represents 100 % of EU steel production, has not suggested any particular measures and has not asked for any restrictions of scrap exports from the bloc.

"That would be difficult under current EU law and it's not in our policy to ask for this kind of restrictions," he said.

He said that there had been calls from other European organizations to keep the EU's raw materials and scrap metal for its own use.

"There are discussions within the EU institutions, and they are not coming from Eurofer, to attain a close loop in Europe which includes raw materials and scrap."

Fears of Protectionism
Members of the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) said last week that European steelmakers, including some top manufacturers, were pressuring the EU Commission to impose export restrictions on steel scrap from the EU to help preserve their domestic raw material stocks.

The head of Italy's steel industry body Federacciai, Antonio Gozzi, also told a news conference earlier this week that the association is considering requesting to put duties on exports of scrap steel from Europe, on which the local industry depends for about 60 % of supplies.

Members of BIR, which groups scrap and recycling businesses around the world, described the issue of export restrictions as alarming, very dangerous and unnecessary.

"There is enough scrap in Europe for domestic steelmakers," Tom Bird of Dutch company Van Dalen Recycling said during a recycling conference last week.

The BIR non-ferrous metals board also expressed concern over the visible growth in protectionist moves. To fight this trend it has commissioned a study, initially focused on aluminum and copper scrap consumption in the various countries and its flows around the world.

New Livonia recycling plant pays cash for metal, electronics

LIVONIA, Mich. (WJBK) -

Every day it's a surprise to see what shows up at Advanced Recycling on Merriman.  The recycling plant that specializes in metal and plastic recycling, opened for business in mid-May.  According to its owner Michael Bassirpour they're the first metal recycling facility in Livonia.

"We buy metal from industrial accounts, manufacturing companies, local residents trying to clean up their garages, basements.  We take electronics, all different types of metal bearing material.  Everything gets recycled at our facility.  We have a zero landfill policy."

We found one person dropping off scrap metal from Orin Jewelry in Garden City.  He got about $10 for some old light fixtures.

People also came by with old electronics and all kinds of other items.  Some walked away with thousands of dollars.  Everything that ends up at Advanced Recycling is shredded, melted down and reused, keeping toxic chemicals out of the environment.

People actually recycle some pretty surprising things like a beat up, old snowmobile.  It's staying out of a landfill and its owner got $50.

"We thumbprint the customers.  We have a photo I. D.  There's a picture of every single transaction.  We're not the police, but we do our best to ensure we don't buy anything stolen."

Advanced Recycling is open 6 days a week.  They say they pay some of the best prices in town.

Boliden Expands WEEE Recycling Capacity in Sweden

Swedish metals company, Boliden (STO:BOL) has officially opened a SEK 1.3 billion ($181 million) new expansion of its electronics recycling facility at the Ronnskar copper smelting plant, with a capacity of 120,000 tonnes per year.

According to company announcement the increased use of electronic products, shorter product lifecycles and stricter legislation governing electronic waste, means that the worldwide availability of electronic scrap is increasing.

Boliden officials said the expansion project was started in 2010 and the smelting of electronic material in the new facilities began in January this year.

If we believe metals specialist, its Ronnskar is one of the world's most efficient copper smelters in the recycling of copper and precious metals from electronic scrap.

The smelter is an integrated metallurgical complex that Boliden said extracts high-purity metals at low cost and with good environmental performance.

The company added that the investment is in line with its view of metals' eco-cycle in a sustainable society, and is helping to ensure that more electronic scrap is recycled, rather than being sent to landfills.

"A growing share of the metal production will originate from recycling. With this project Boliden combines high environmental performance with good business returns," explained Lennart Evrell, president and CEO of Boliden.