The Present Waste Strategy of Larger Metal Recycling Companies
For the larger companies in the Australian metal recycle industry, contaminated metals from scrap intakes are processed through a high compression process that shreds both ferrous and non-ferrous metals. This process leaves large amounts of 'floc' or off-waste, a 'gravel like' incinerated bottom ash (IBA) generated from the large amounts of plastic and rubber melted from the high intensity impact and heat from the shredding process. Contaminated scrap in the form of plastics and rubber come from the many cars, industrial machinery and other product items such as white goods that are processed. This is also combined with construction waste that includes foam and plastic, timber and rubber. The shredder process separates the 'floc' from the most of the metal, is contained in large piles and is carted off in tipper trucks to landfill sites. This is an expensive part of this business and continues to be an increasing expense as landfill fees continue to increase.
Cause for Change
Tighter landfill reduction and government legislative controls in Europe are helping recycling companies to find innovative ways to reduce landfill waste and these innovations could also find their way into Australian metal recycling industry. Greenhouse emissions and concerns for ongoing environmental effects of waste treatments at ground level such as dust and water contamination are an ongoing concern for government and publics. IBIS industry reports (2016) also suggest an estimate of falling growth for this industry in the next five years with it being in a declining industry lifecycle. With this knowledge the industry may benefit with the improvement on downstream activities using of new technology to recover inaccessible metals, reduce waste and use waste for re-useable resources.
Some Methods Currently being Used
Treatment of this floc waste is generally a fractioning method. Effective fractioning methods can recover metal particles > 1mm. Companies have various quality metal-from-IBA recovery systems at their many different processing plants. This still leaves the problem of separated plastic and rubber waste even if the recovery of metals is highly efficient.
Throughout Europe various government legislation has allowed IBA to be used as aggregate for concrete manufacturing used as a secondary building material for road construction, bridge, flyover embankments, sound walls ect.
The Future
A system that has been reviewed and proposed for Australia is a new process using pyrolysis plants.
The sorted plastic would be fed into a ‘‘pyrolysis’’ plant and turned into ‘‘high viscosity fuel oil’’.
Industry spokespeople have said that the 1000s of tonnes of metal processing of white goods and car bodies leave a left over waste material of up to 25%. Proposed recycling plants especially designed to separate waste material in steel, plastic, rubber and other waste are hoped to cut landfill waste by 30%. This 30% reduction would be mostly due to the sorted plastic waste content being turned into high viscosity fuel oil after the plastic part of the waste is fed into a pyrolysis plant.
Another method currently used at times, is the use of machinery designed to compact materials into small compact blocks or briquettes. Sorted waste can be briquetted for secondary uses such as fuel, metal waste raw material and for oil containment systems (spill kits).
Another method that can be used is burning the waste. Fuelling power stations and cement kilns from the burning of 'floc' can be used in the same way that discarded tyres are used in the practice known as tyre derived fuel or TDF. This practice generally burns waste as fuel at extremely high temperatures and filters out most of the pollutants during the high temperature burn off. This practice may be of concern for both government and publics especially in Australia where green practices are favoured over the burning fuel to generate power. The burning of fossil fuels and synthetic man made fuels is an environmental issue although it is an individual or collective point of view on whether this issue concerns people or not. I believe the majority of the population would favour a clean atmosphere than not. Global warming is one issue people follow or don't, amounts of dioxins, furans and other chlorine based pollutants possibly produced from the high temperature burning of this waste for fuel may be of concern to stakeholders and publics.
Current Domestic Market Situation for Contaminated Metals
Having spent nearly five years in the Australian metal recycling industry with two different companies I have seen a reduction of the intake of contaminated metals into the processing system. Aluminium contaminated with high amounts of plastics, timber or glass that was once fetching good prices of around $400 a tonne in 2012-2014 is now considered low grade light gauge metal and has been reduced to a low price of around $20-$40 a tonne. The local scrap merchants would make a modest living from collecting this product mostly from council approved kerbside pick-ups. The downgrading and price reduction has limited scrap merchants profitability and reduced contaminated metals from being sold and therefore processed through the shredder. The effort and hard work to collect this product for an income has now been made 'hardly worth it', as dropped price and lower demand for this product grade; cannot produce a decent profit for local scrap collectors. Also the application of a 10% waste levy for light gauge steel deliveries can make this practice more costly than profitable. When taking opportunity costs into account, if one was to consider to enter this trade as a way to make an income especially while the price of scrap steel light gauge is at a low level it probably isn't worth the effort at present for the collection and trade of this particular contaminated scrap product.
This in turn has seen some scrap dealers cleaning contaminants off the aluminium products for a better price and reduced shredder off-waste.
Dirty Tricks
Some of the not-so-green practices I have seen in my time working in a metal recycling yard.
- The distribution of tonnes of a high profile clients plastic waste collected from the stripping of copper cable that was then spread throughout the low grade metal pile and hidden from view. This waste would then go through the shredder to be turned into floc to become a hidden cost.
- Oil leaking from scrap engine blocks leaking onto the ground and into a nearby drain, this resulted in a fine from local council.
- Burning of plastic bags containing brass fittings to reduce time and effort. (This did not work, and made the employee sick).
- Filling shipping containers used as barriers around scrap operations with tonnes of waste floc. Either used as a sound barrier or used as an alternative to real gravel as a fire retardant. This may be considered a fire hazard as it could ignite from a scrap pile fire with enough heat and oxygen.
- The disassembly of air conditioners, fridges and machinery without removal and containment of the gas. (a common practice that is near impossible to govern by the E.P.A).
- Burning of insulated copper wire with diesel or petrol to remove the plastic off the copper to upgrade the product for a better price.
- Tyres going through the shredding process without any thought of proper disposal such as recycling, waste-to-energy or disposal in a appropriate facility.
In this Australian business climate of metal recycling, it would be a smart practice to be diligent by researching sustainable waste management systems. A proactive approach that encourages innovation and invests in better processing systems will help to provide profitable returns and develop positive public perceptions. Reducing waste amount to landfill by recovering most of the by-product for secondary use and developing a product-demand new resource for this waste product can help maintain growth in the industry. This waste-product may be recycled for fuel or for manufacturing purposes in export and domestic markets and could be a key for the sustainability and growth of the metal recycling business.
Recommendations for the Australian Metal Recycling Industry
- Work more towards the reduction of floc waste by the removal of tyres and large plastics with the machinery that these companies have at their disposal (excavators at all sizes with grabs)
- Move in the proposed directions of waste-to-fuel using new technology such as pyrolysis plants.
- Increase briquetted methods to produce a secondary resource of products for many different industries for construction and fuel.
- Analyse the smaller and larger competition to find ways to reduce their market share.
- Increase R&D into the viability of off-waste products for profit and test markets for interest.
- Recruit global marketers with innovative ideas and industry contacts instead of going on the advice of old management with agendas that won't work effectively in today's tough business climate.
- Adopt new technology if it passes industry testing of processing and waste reduction/recycling.
- Continue the practice of downgrading contaminated most contaminated metals.
- Develop better customer resource management systems. (This for another time and blog).
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