Recycling industry adjusts target expectations
Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - 09:18:16
Changes in the value of recycled materials have caused companies involved in the recycling industry to encourage UK councils to revise their targets, according to LetsRecycle.com.
Major recycling firms, including Veolia and Viridor, have pointed out that as the commodities created by recycling activities are falling in value, it is harder to sell materials collected in the UK on the international market.
This means that processing household recycling across the country is going to be more expensive for local authorities to achieve, which could mean that attaining targets for recycling which are already in place will be tougher.
The closure of recycling plants is also being cited as a factor that will lead to goals being missed, although Veolia points out that the upper end of the market is still strong, with premium grade products remaining a viable route to profit for the industry.
This does not impact on the mobile phone recycling market, which is somewhat immune from fluctuations elsewhere in the industry, thanks to the fact that there is such high demand for second hand smartphones, both in the UK and abroad.
People who sell their old phones online can find competitive offers from a range of recycling companies, especially if their handset is still in a good condition and can simply be sold on to a third party, rather than recycled. Even damaged devices have some value, as the components and materials within can be reclaimed.
The problems facing the rest of the recycling industry and local authorities alike may take some time to be resolved. And in the meantime, this will no doubt lead to criticism being levelled against councils that are not managing to meet recycling targets, even if this is as a result of factors that are beyond their control.
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