The Brussels-based International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF) has released figures for stainless steel output in 2019. Those figures show output in China rose 10 percent, while production in every other region fell compared with 2018.

Because of China’s 10.1 percent rise in melt shop production, the global output of stainless steel increased by 2.9 percent year on year to 52.2 million metric tons.

While Chinese mills were churning out stainless steel slabs, coils and ingots at a record pace, output fell by  7.9 percent in Europe, 7.6 percent in the United States and 3.7 percent in the rest of Asia. An ISSF “others” category that includes Brazil, Russia and South Africa saw output fall by 2 percent.

By volume, the 24.9 million metric tons of stainless steel produced in China in 2019 represented 56.3 percent of the global total.

According to a February presentation by Anil Shah of Canada-based Ni-Met Metals Inc. at the Materials Recycling Association of India (MRAI) 2020 meeting, China relies much less than the rest of the world on stainless steel scrap to produce its slabs, coils and ingots.

Shah said from 2015 to 2018, China’s stainless steel producers used just 22.3 percent scrap as feedstock. During the same period,  scrap comprised 77 percent of the feedstock for Indian producers, though India’s output is about 15 percent the size of China’s production.

The Department of Homeland Security has updated its "Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce: Ensuring Community and National Resilience in COVID-19 Response" to include recyclers, according to the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), Washington. However, the words "recyclers" or "recycling" are not specifically mentioned in the document. 

ISRI says the new wording was in response to its letter to Vice President Pence last week, as well as to similar letters from others.

Because many states and localities are relying on these federal guidelines, ISRI says it is important for recyclers to be aware of this change. 

Under the heading “Critical Manufacturing,” the guidance states: “Workers necessary for the manufacturing of materials and products needed for medical supply chains and for supply chains associated with transportation, energy, communications, food and agriculture, chemical manufacturing, nuclear facilities, the operation of dams, water and wastewater treatment, emergency services and the defense industrial base. Additionally, workers needed to maintain the continuity of these manufacturing functions and associated supply chains.”

ISRI says this new wording recognizes that manufacturing is dependent on manufacturers' ability to obtain feedstock for their operations. Recyclers are essential businesses that supply critical raw materials to keep manufacturers in operation.

The association says, “Recycled metal, paper, plastics and other commodity-grade materials feed critical U.S. manufacturing operations that are producing the rebar, wiring, tubing, transportation, packaging and other key materials that are needed for everything from construction of new hospitals to the manufacture of new hospital beds, ventilators, toilet paper and other essential supplies needed to keep Americans safe and the economy running during this critical period.”

As each state has issued its own guidelines on what it considers essential businesses allowed to operate, ISRI says its Assistant Counsel Danielle Waterfield has reached out to members in the state to provide necessary information. The association welcomes members in states that have issued guidance but who have not yet heard from Waterfield to contact her at Dwaterfield@isri.org.   

In addition, ISRI is maintaining a COVID-19 State and Local Policy Dashboard that aggregates emergency declarations, executive orders and other sources of official information for all 50 states, as well as from many local jurisdictions by population.

ISRI also has prepared a listing of available information on state financial aid responses, changes to unemployment requirements for employers and employees, tax filing changes and other actions implemented to help local businesses weather the outbreak. 

Finally, the association has developed guidelines to help members operate safely during the COVID-19 outbreak. ISRI reminds its members that businesses are allowed to operate during this period with the understanding that they will adhere to all requirements on maximizing remote work and observing necessary precautions prescribed by the Centers for Disease Control, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and state and local authorities to protect workers and their families. 

Retire-IT, a Columbus, Ohio-based provider of information technology asset disposition (ITAD) services, says that Transpere has joined the ITADCentral marketplace.

ITADCentral is an online marketplace designed to connect IT asset managers to certified service providers. ITADCentral helps IT asset managers optimize ITAD programs by bringing efficiency, transparency and choice to the ITAD industry, according to Retire-IT.

Headquartered in Carrollton, Texas, Transpere has more than 30  years of experience managing IT assets for corporations, government agencies and health care and education institutions. The company has locations in Dallas, Columbus and San Diego, all of which are certified to R2 (Responsible Recycling), ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards. Additionally, Transpere is a National Minority Supplier Development Council certified Minority Business Executive.

Kyle Marks, CEO of Retire-IT and founder of ITADCentral, says, "Transpere stands for transparency, which is one of the many reasons they are a great partner. Transpere provides wonderful service, accurate reporting and high recovery values. We are proud to have Transpere join ITADCentral in our mission to bring value and transparency to the ITAD industry."

“In the ITAD industry, there can sometimes be uncertainty in finding a company with the right certifications and merited trust,” says Rick Lewis, CEO of Transpere. “ITADCentral remedies the gray area of the industry by screening security and credentials of vendors for the customer. We're delighted to be a part of ITADCentral's vetting process so that clients can be assured of the compliance and quality of the services they seek."

The ITADCentral marketplace is available to R2 and e-Stewards certified service providers that follow ITAD industry best practices and adhere to ITADCentral requirements and code of ethics.

Posting projects on ITADCentral is free, easy and anonymous for qualified clients. Clients can compare apples-to-apples offers in sealed bids and review customer feedback to make informed decisions. The ITADCentral marketplace enables buyers to hire based on value, not just the lowest bid, Retire-IT says.

Retire-IT, a consulting firm that specializes in management and quality control of IT asset disposition, created ITADCentral. Retire-IT says it pioneered disposal tag chain of custody and software to automate IT asset tracking and manages the retirement, remarketing and recycling of unwanted computer equipment.

Stifel, St. Louis, released an industry update March 22 titled, “Solid Waste: Revising Models for C-19, Volume Down, Price Durable, Deal Flow Slows, FCF Stands Out.” In the update, the investment banking firm outlines the projected impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on solid waste industry participants.

“What public/private company avoids any sales pressure due to C-19? None,” the report states. “We believe the impact on solid waste will look like both 9/11 and the Great Recession. The former was a shock and awe [event], the consumer paused. The latter, the U.S./North American economies were over levered which it is not now but wholesale business shutdowns had a volume impact. Today, solid waste has more control of cost/capital than ever before. Social distancing and big urban settings forcing closure of food, beverage, hospitality and entertainment leads to a big drop in collected volume and commercial customers asking for service on-hold/cancellations. We assume an annual 15 percent hit to volume of 10 percent for third-party commercial, C&D and special waste volume and 5 percent direct commercial collection sales cut in half for two months. Residential volumes will be up, and in many cases, contracts allow for charging for extra bin/bag pick-ups.”

As part of the report, Stifel outlines potential points of stress in residential, commercial/small container, and roll-off/large container collection.

On residential collection:

“This revenue stream is nearly recession proof. The biggest risk is the homeowner walks away from the house and does not pay the bill. Otherwise, if they put the trash out and do not pay, the garbage company does not pick it up. On average residential relationships run over 12 years."

On commercial/small container collection:

“We suspect commercial in hard-hit [COVID-19] shut-in areas are moving to service-on-holds rapidly for April and May. We suspect commercial sales for those two months could be down 25 percent to 50 percent. We are using 50 percent cut for two-months.”

On roll-off/large container collection:

“Unit price for temporary [roll-offs] has proven very durable as solid waste learned in the Great Recession—to quickly park equipment and rationalize the cost structure, pull prices were virtually unchanged. Permanent roll-off is highly recession resistant—a building is rarely vacant. Temporary roll-off is sensitive to construction cycles, residential and non-residential. Normal seasonal ramp in construction is likely to be soft. Home builders are ‘the canary in the coal mine’—as soon as consumers stop buying, they stop building; therefore, watch housing starts carefully. Not just the drop, but what level it settles [at] and how quickly it recovers."

Click here for the full report.