Acme Refining Scrap Iron & Metal Co., headquartered in Chicago, has announced that its nonferrous metals and fleet maintenance departments have achieved ISO 14001 certification.

ISO 14001 calls for the creation of an environmental management system.

“The certification project, with Marcy Pounders at the helm, will be helpful in attaining contracts with government agencies and manufacturers who require the 14001 certification as well as provide another level of certification for our current customers,” says Brett Baron, COO of Acme Refining.

Registrar PRG, the auditing firm that awarded Acme the certification, says, “There are few fleet maintenance divisions with that distinction, which attests to Acme, once again, being a leader in their field.” 

Acme Refining provides a range of services for the waste and recycling industry, including hauling and processing scrap metal, electronics recycling, document destruction and paper and cardboard recycling.

Several hundred traders, recyclers and scrap consumers gathered for the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association Recycling Metal Branch (CMRA) 2012 International Forum in Beijing in November.

At the event’s opening session, CMRA officers accepted congratulations from international recycling association representatives on reaching its 10th anniversary in 2012.

“Over the past decade, the CMRA has done a lot to professionalize its members and [thus] helped the entire international recycling industry,” said Francis Veys, director general of the Brussels-based Bureau of International Recycling (BIR).

Robin Weiner, president of the Washington-based Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI), also praised the CMRA for the role it has played in the previous 10 years and said ISRI and CMRA “have developed a very strong working relationship.”

“Free and fair trade between the U.S. and China is of vital importance to our members,” said Weiner, who added that China purchased some $11.5 billion in scrap commodities from the United States in 2011.

In his report to members, CMRA Vice President & Secretary General Wang Jiwei commented, “In the last 10 years we have achieved a lot, and this is because of national policies that have supported us.”

Wang also announced that the 2012 Forum will be the last one in which long-time Vice Secretary General Ma Hongchang will serve in that capacity. Noting that Ma had made “lots of contributions for many years,” Wang said the former officer will stay involved with the CMRA in an advisory role.

The 2012 CMRA Recycling Metal International Forum was at the China World Hotel in Beijing Nov. 7-9.

 

The British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA) is applauding a decision made by the U.K.’s Environment Agency and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) that allows for auto shredder residue (ASR) generated by auto shredders in the country to be recovered and converted into energy rather than being landfilled.

In a statement, the BMRA says that the decision could mean most of the 800,000 metric tons of the ASR landfilled each year can be used to produce plastics and generate electricity. Additionally the BMRA says that the decision could help the U.K. meet EU recycling and recovery targets.

In a release, Ian Hetherington, director general of BMRA, says, “This is a long-awaited decision that represents the best outlet for the material which until now could only be landfilled. The U.K. metal recycling industry has been waiting for a positive decision in order for them to determine how best to drive up recycling rates for end-of-life vehicles (ELV) while generating growth for the sector and the country.”

“For more than two years, BMRA and key players in the industry have been calling for government to be decisive in providing a policy framework in which the U.K. metals recycling industry can take a lead in the advanced recovery of end-of-life consumer goods in Europe,” Hetherington adds. “Now, with the right policy framework in place, the metals recycling industry will endeavor to retain a lead in developing materials recycling and recovery, whilst creating green jobs and growth in the sector.”

The association notes that while at the present time more than 85 percent of the vehicles is recycled, this decision allows energy recovery via the thermal processing of this material, rather than disposing of it to landfill. The result is giving association members the ability to make the investments needed to increase the EU recovery targets, which are slated to reach 95 percent in 2015.