The European headquarters of Sims Metal Management (SMM) in Long Marston, U.K., has been given permission by the Worcestershire County Council’s Planning & Regulatory Committee to build a second automobile shredder residue warehouse building on its site.

According to an article by the Evesham (U.K.) Observer, the plan comes as part of a £15million (US$23.5 million) investment by SMM and will strengthen the Long Marston site by safeguarding its existing 471 employees and create additional new employment. The article notes that the committee voted in favor of the company’s plan to build a facility that can handle around 120,000 metric tons per year of ASR.

The site’s two plants could bring in a total of £50 million per year to the UK economy.

The AF Group (AFG) has been awarded a contract with the oil company Statoil regarding the removal and recycling of an oil rig platform at the German continental shelf of the North Sea. The contract is part of an option the company was given when it was awarded a contract for the removal and recycling of another platform in 2011. The company says the project should be completed by 2016. The contract value is approximately NOK 500 million (US$84 million), excluding VAT (value-added tax).

AFG, headquartered in Oslo, Norway, is a turnkey supplier of services in property development, building services, facilities services, energy optimization, demolition/recycling and offshore.

According to AFG, the platform to be scrapped has been a part of a pipeline that exports gas to Europe. The contract will cover planning, engineering, removal and demolition of the installation.

Environmental base vats on the west coast of Norway, Europe’s most modern reception facility for decommissioned offshore installations, will be used.

Pål Egil Rønn, CEO of the AF Group, says, “The AF Group has built up expertise and capacity to handle removal and recycling of obsolete petroleum installations. It is therefore a recognition that Statoil, on behalf of Gassco, again has chosen the AF Group. This work lays the foundation for further growth within our environmental business in the North Sea."

The Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) has reported that more than 4.5 million metal cans (UBC) were collected for recycling by schools that took part in the association’s Second Annual Great American Can Roundup national recycling competition.

The CMI is a national association of the metal can manufacturing industry. Combined, CMI members operate close to 150 plants in 36 states.

More than 790 schools participated in the Roundup, raising $100,591 for school activities and local charities. The program runs from November 15 (America Recycles Day) to April 22 (Earth Day).

The CMI notes that that around 66,000 students ran collection projects that recycled 131,183 pounds of aluminum cans. Through the contest CMI awarded $1,000 to the top recycling school in each state that fulfilled all contest requirements. The National Champion receives an additional grand prize of $5,000.

Schools were judged on a per capita basis, comparing the number of cans recycled to the number of students participating. With a recycling rate of 70.49 pounds, Expedition Academy in Green River, Wyo., was the national champion for the second year running. Two Montana schools rounded up the top three: Fromberg High School, Fromberg, placed second; and Cascade High School, Cascade, third.

Following a recent audit, the Galloo Recycling Group, based in France, has announced that it is the first company in either Belgium or France to be entitled to use the End-of-Waste certification. The certification means the group can handle and transport certain secondary raw materials as genuine products in their own right, and, therefore, no longer as waste.

In 2008, the European Union drafted a directive aimed at encouraging research into the best ways of processing waste. In 2011, an EU Regulation was drawn up, based on the directive, setting out specific criteria for End-of-Waste certification. The certification is part of an EU initiative aimed at strengthening confidence in the quality of secondary raw materials, which, in turn, will help reduce the rate at which natural sources of these materials are consumed.

A recent audit, conducted by Bureau Veritas, has recognized the Galloo Recycling Group’s efforts to maximize its recycling efforts. From now on the Galloo Recycling Group may use the name End-of-Waste for three secondary raw materials that the company recovers: pure shredded iron scrap; sorted and dried aluminum; and sorted stainless steel.

“The EU Regulation only establishes criteria for these three metals,” says Pierre Vandeputte, CEO of the Galloo Recycling Group. “They are currently working on a standard for copper, a benchmark that we will also comply with, when it comes into force. At Group Galloo we have always tried to avoid being seen as a waste-processing company. We supply secondary raw materials, which are genuine products in their own right. This is our contribution towards a cleaner environment.”

To use the certificate, the Galloo Group has to guarantee the traceability of the scrap metal it receives. Samples are taken at regular intervals to check the quality of the products. Galloo Recycling also needs to present all the right documentation during handling and transport, and all the products the company handles will have to be recorded in a materials register.