Welcome to the latest edition of the BIR information service for members, the BIR eBrief. This overview of BIR’s activities is published regularly, in order to keep you abreast of the most important ongoing actions within your world recycling federation.

In this edition you will find:

General:

• Martin Böschen new President of BIR Textiles Division
• Appointment of new BIR Plastics Committee Chairman
• BIR firms-up partnership with IFAT, the world’s leading trade fair on environmental technologies

Legislation:

• BIR Textiles Division makes important contribution to worn clothing/waste debate

• Indonesia: Anti-dumping import duties on steel products from seven countries, including China and India

• Radioactivity : BIR members are advised to ensure their radiation detection equipment is in good working order

Spotlight on Global Recycling Day:

• 21 events held across the world
• Unprecedented social media coverage

Conventions:

• BIR Singapore 2019 Welcome Evening at iconic Gardens by the Bay
• Mark your calendar for our special networking events!

Martin Böschen new President of BIR Textiles Division

TEXAID, a long-standing BIR member, was founded as a charity-based private partnership by six Swiss aid organisations, along with a private partner and know-how providers. The Group, which has over 1,000 employees in six countries, implements efficient collecting logistics at its own sorting facilities in Switzerland and abroad, and achieves an annual group-wide collection volume of over 80,000 tonnes.

In his capacity as Textiles Division President, Mr Böschen is a member of the BIR Executive Committee and serves as Vice-President of the organisation. BIR President Ranjit Baxi commented that he is very much looking forward to working with Mr Böschen, whose knowledge of the business and the global challenges facing our industry will be a great asset to BIR and its leadership. (...) Read more

Appointment of new BIR Plastics Committee Chairman

Vita Plastics is a supplier of regrinds, regranulate and compounds, and contributes to a sustainable society by focusing on the ecological and economic motives. An extensive network of suppliers provides VITA Plastics with post-consumer and post-industrial plastic waste, which is recycled into standard or customer-specific materials under their own management.

Mr Alssema is looking forward to making a passionate, enthusiastic and positive contribution to BIR. (...) Read more

BIR firms up partnership with IFAT, the world’s leading trade fair on environmental technologies

IFAT Eurasia once again proved its objective to be the leading platform for environmental technologies in the region by attracting almost 10,500 visitors from 84 countries, 215 exhibiting companies representing 339 brands, who gathered to find out about trends in the water, sewage, waste and recycling sectors with a special focus on circular economy and marine littering.

As part of the “Supporting Programme”, BIR provided a successful and well attended session on “Recycling - a truly global business” with presentations by BIR President Ranjit Baxi, BIR Trade & Environment Director Ross Bartley, and Ercan Yürekli, Vice-President of BIR member association Tüdam. The three presentations were followed by a round-table discussion on trade restrictions and the importance of free and fair trade moderated by BIR Director General Arnaud Brunet.

BIR representatives highlighted the importance of raising awareness about the environmental, social and economic benefits of recycling and circular economy for a greener and more sustainable planet that can only be implemented through appropriate technology and without making any concessions in production, consumption and social welfare. (...) Read more

BIR Textiles Division makes important contribution to worn clothing/waste debate

Following a meeting at BIR headquarters in Brussels late last month, the world body’s members are being urged to seek support at government level for “Annex IX listing application for used clothing and accessories as collected”.

Radioactivity : BIR members are advised to ensure their radiation detection equipment is in good working order

BIR has been made aware that a significant number of Cobalt 60 (Co60) radioactive sources from scrapped medical devices from Nigeria have fallen out of the country's regulatory control and are now appearing in scrap metal exported for recycling. BIR members’ operating radiation detection equipment in importing countries have found a small number of those radiation sources. The efforts of these recycling companies have enabled some of the lost sources to be brought back under regulatory control, however a large number of sources are still ‘out there’ and ‘out of regulatory control’ and may still enter into scrap metal streams. Hence metal recycling companies are advised to ensure their radiation detection equipment and procedures are all in good working order. (...) Read more

Indonesia: Anti-dumping import duties on steel products from seven countries, including China and India

It is reported in the press  that on Friday, 22 March Indonesia extended anti-dumping import duties of up to 20 percent for a number of flat-rolled iron and steel products from seven countries, including China, Russia and India. The extension of duties may take effect 14 days from March 19, when the Indonesian government signed the regulation.

Indonesia also imposed the tax on flat-rolled imports from Taiwan, Thailand, Kazakhstan and Belarus, and separately set an 11.9 percent anti-dumping duty on a few other iron and steel products from China. (...) Read more

Global Recycling Day 2019 was a huge success. There were 21 events held across the world on and around the 18th March, 671 million people had the chance to hear about Global Recycling Day through media coverage alone, over 6.5 million people were reached on social media and big brands across the world recognised the day through their own initiatives. And this is just the tip of the iceberg!

Events ranged from beach clean ups to high school litter picks and football challenges to school visits, and took place across almost every continent, including Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and South America.

Now in its second year, Global Recycling Day was created in 2018 to help recognise, and celebrate, the importance recycling plays in preserving our precious primary resources, lowering global carbon emissions and securing the future of our planet.

15 Official city centre events

• Dubai - Salam Shariff presented to a local school in Dubai on Global Recycling Day to raise awareness
• Lagos, Nigeria - U-Recycle organised a fashion show with clothes made from recycled materials, a fun fair in the city, an art exhibition partnering with local schools and a series of recycling games
• London - Pop-up activation on Carnaby Street, public engagement to get people taking part in the #RecyclingGoals challenge.
• London - The Forest school also completed a clean up in the school gardens
• Middelburg, South Africa - Recycling Week at Gansiekeur Pre-Premere School – Ilse Bothe spoke to the children about recycling and ‘Recycling into the Future'. Middelburg Preparatory School - school children took part in the #RecyclingGoalsChallenge and were asked to bring PETE bottles to school to build a Recycling Triangle (...) Read more

10 unofficial events (what we know of):

• Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago - The European Business Chamber in Trinidad and Tobago hosted a mix and mingle on 18th March
• Jaipur - Gravita (recycling company in India) organised a cycling event to promote GRD
• Gujarat, India - Swatch Barat Mission encouraged people to take a recycling pledge
• Constantia, South Africa - Sunlight encouraged South Africans to play their part in recycling 
• Aberdeen - Standard Life Aberdeen hosted stalls to promote the importance of recycling
• Sarajevo, Bosnia - a 30 square metre carpet made from 25,000 plastic bottle caps was created
• Mongolia - The Asia Foundation, IETC executing partner in Mongolia, organised a series of Brown Bag lunches and video screening, over the course of a week, to raise awareness on the importance of sound waste management and the role we can play as individuals in improving the overall system (...) Read more

Social media and press coverage

• @GlbRecyclingDay followers on Twitter increased by 35 times more than average on Monday 18th March
• @GlbRecyclingDay now has 7,849 followers on Twitter – an increase of 1,140 on the 18 March
• On the week of Global Recycling Day (17-23 March) Global Recycling Day on Twitter saw 8,474,564 impressions with a reach of 5,501,040
• #GlobalRecyclingDay was trending on Twitter in the UK for the majority of the day
• Top contributors on Twitter include:
  • @USAID
  • @Dell
  • @AP_McCoy
  • @Nespresso
  • @Pepsico_EU
  • @Metoffice
  • @DEFRA
  • @IKEA_UK
  • @DeutschePostDHL
  • @VEOLIA_NA
  • @Suez
  • @BBC_Teach
  • @UNICEFBELGIQUE
  • @RecyclingBC
  • @Loreal
  • @walkers_crisps (...) Read more

Mark your calendar for our special networking events!

Join the BIR Welcome Evening in the Flower Field Hall at The Gardens by the Bay, the top iconic Singapore landmark! Relax after a busy business day at this can't-miss even and enjoy local flavours, creative cocktails, live entertainment, and some fun surprises as you celebrate all you have accomplished at BIR Singapore.

Exclusively privatised for BIR participants during the Welcome Evening, step into the Flower Dome and stand in awe of nature. Spectacular and innovative, it is the largest glass greenhouse in the world as listed in the 2015 Guinness World Records! Be amazed by changing display of flowers and plants from the Mediterranean and semi-arid regions.

The Welcome Evening is open to all convention delegates and registered life partners.
Photo credit: Gardens by the Bay​

Bask in amazing views of Singapore at undoubtedly one of the best rooftop bars in the city!

Located at 57th floor of spectacular Marina Bay Sands, the famous CéLaVi Club is 200 meters high above the sea, offering uninterrupted views of the city and the bay. Fuel your night out with Modern Asian bites and signature cocktails as you dance to thumping beats on the rooftop of Marina Bay Sands.

Limited places available! If you have not yet booked your ticket for the evening, please contact the registration secretariat at bir@clq-group.com. Not yet registered? Take advantage of special fees for Young Traders! 

See the full programme HERE

Book your access pass and reserve your hotel room now!