Australia's metal recycling initiative

Recycling metals is becoming an increasingly attractive way of fulfilling society's needs. It reduces the drain on primary resources, and at the same time also decreases the amount of waste into land fills. Many countries recycle a range of metals, from the copper used in our pipes and cabling, to the rare trace metals used in our computers and mobile phones. Early last year, a recycling initiative in Australia, formed by recycling companies, councils and green groups, has outlined a plan to develop billions of dollars worth of new recycling infrastructure over the next few years. According to the National Recycling Initiative (NRI), the global economic downturn has slashed demand for recycled commodities, but the industry will go on the offence with an aggressive growth plan. This includes $42 million and $5 million capital expenditure in Brisbane and Regional NSW respectively toward the Greenfield metals recycling facility, creating 115 new direct jobs. Metal recycler Sell & Parker says the ideas have merit and would have happened sooner or later. The question is whether the jobs and returns will be yielded quickly or 10 years later. The NRI package would encourage private industry to invest in new recycling infrastructure. According to the initiative, its members have pledged to retain 10,000 current recycling workers, inject $2 billion into new infrastructure, increase recycling by two million tonnes a year, and employ 2000 extra direct staff. The National Recycling Initiative says its plans will not only help the recycling industry, but also provide a leg-up for the national economy, and waste management solutions. The NRI is now hoping the various levels of governments will back its plan and provide support. Related News International scrap metal recycler and trader Scholz has invested $48,990,000 in Australian metal recycling group CMA. Scholz bought 230 million of CMA shares at 21.3 cents per share. This is in addition to a deal from November 2008, when Scholz bought 45 million shares. It now has a 42.18% stake in CMA. The Australian scrap metal company says Scholz's help comes as a much-needed relief from the difficult market conditions. The money was used to repay debt. SIMS Metal Management SA has refurbished its Gillman recycling facility, increasing production capacity by 71%. Sims Metal Management processes scrap metal and goods at its Gillman site, recovering metal from residue and providing the steel industry with fragmented and shredded products. According to the company, the $13 million refurbishment program will keep it ahead of the scrap metal industry. The upgrades include an improved shredder, a new site office, maintenance workshops, weighbridge, and other works. While production capacity has been boosted from 70 to 120 tonnes per hour, the facility also has better efficiency, with 38% improvement in production for the same amount of power used. Sims Metal Management says the scrap metal industry has been on a rollercoaster, but is set to rebound from the recent drop in prices. OneSteel Market Mills recycles enough metal per year to construct almost 50 Sydney Harbour Bridges. Its recycling operation has expanded to over 35 depots across Australia, and major shredding plants are located in five states. The company takes abandoned vehicles, white goods, industrial off-cuts, demolition materials, and obsolete goods. These are processed into raw material for making new steel. Shredders transform used vehicles into fistsized pieces of scrap at a rate of two cars per minute. The steel producer says it monitors the amount of water used in the recycling process, and moderates the energy needed to process the scrap. This can lead to savings of up to 74% on the emissions of greenhouse gases compared to making the metal originally in a blast furnace, as well as 90% savings on virgin materials, 40% onNike Air Jordan 1 Mens