With all of the talk about the environment and economy over the last year there have been a few industries that have been lost in the shuffle. While issues like climate change and household recycling have taken the front page headlines, other facets of the recycling and waste management community have been silently struggling to overcome the effects of a worldwide recession. The metal recycling industry has taken some large hits over the past few months as global demand has driven prices way down, making some wonder if the metal recycling industry could go under without government assistance. This is why Dan Norris, the Environment Minister, recently made a trip to visit some metal recycling plants to find ways that the government can work hand in hand with the industry to increase recycling rates in the United Kingdom.
One of the problems metal recyclers have faced is that there simply isn’t as much product entering the market since many people are putting off decisions to make major purchases until the economy is better. This means that items like cars, scrap metal from building sites, and renovations are being put on hold while people wait for a stronger economy to reemerge. Norris was given a tour by members of the British Metals Recycling Association as a way to find out facts about the industry and how improvements can be made in the future.
The BMRA say that the conversations with the Environment Minister were very productive and that they hope his interest signals what will be a strong government response to the downturn in the industry.
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