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:

Legislation Update:

• China moves eight types of waste import to “restricted” list
• China approves more pre-shipment inspection agencies
• Will many recycling companies be forced to change their names?
• UN Guidelines on recycling, informal sector and notifications  

Conventions:

• Make sure you attend our 2019 world recycling events
• Preliminary schedule of meetings for BIR World Recycling Convention & Exhibition, (19) 20 - 22 May 2019, Singapore

PR & Communications:

• Global Recycling Day named ‘Educational Initiative of the Year’ by Waste Dive
• Global Recycling Foundation asks children from across the world to be better recycling citizens on Global Recycling Day, 18 March 2019

Membership:

• BIR’s membership keeps growing: 2018 saw 93 new members join our ranks
• BIR new members spread in the world

China moves eight types of waste import to "restricted" list

The People’s Republic of China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Commerce, National Development & Reform Commission and General Administration of Customs announced on December 21 2018 through Notice N°68 in Chinese that, with effect from July 1 2019, eight types of waste and scrap will move from its “Catalogue of Solid Waste Not Restricted to Import as Raw Materials” to its “Catalogue of Solid Waste Restricted to Import as Raw Materials”.
 
The list of eight re-categorised wastes in English can be downloaded here. (…) Read more

China approves more pre-shipment inspection agencies

In its Announcement No. 2 of 2019, the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China has published a second list of approved pre-shipment inspection agencies for imported solid wastes that can be used as raw materials. This follows the publication of an initial list of 21 approved agencies for filing, more details of which can be found in a news item dated November 20 2018 on the BIR website. (…) Read more

Will many recycling companies be forced to change their names?

The Expert Working Group (EWG) met last December in Argentina as part of its review of Annexes I, III and IV, as well as related aspects of Annex IX, to the Basel Convention. In this context, the EU has put forward proposals that have shocked recyclers, particularly in developing countries.

Changes to the Basel Convention’s Annexes will have widespread repercussions across the world as nearly all countries will change their national laws on waste to align with the Basel Convention. For example, Annex IV currently defines “what operations are recycling” and therefore “who is a recycler”. (…) Read more

UN Guidelines on recycling, informal sector and notifications

In December, the 8th meeting of the Expert Working Group set up to develop guidelines for environmentally sound management (EWG-ESM) took place in São Paulo, Brazil. The BIR Secretariat actively participates in such meetings at the UN Basel Convention with the intention to produce high-quality documents for both governments and companies in order to improve waste management in general and recycling practices in particular around the world.

The EWG-ESM prepared the following guidelines for possible adoption at the UN Conference of the Parties to take place in April/May this year.

(i) Draft guidance document to assist Parties in developing efficient strategies for the recycling and recovery of hazardous and other wastes ;

(ii) Draft guidance on how to address ESM in the informal sector ; and

(iii) Draft practical manual for stakeholders to ensure that notifications of transboundary movements meet ESM requirements

(…) Read more

Make sure you attend our 2019 world recycling events!

In 2019, BIR will continue to organise its leading world recycling events and activities to promote industrial growth, awareness and learning across the entire recycling sector. Whether you are processors, consumers traders or brokers, BIR World Recycling Conventions are a strong asset for you. Make sure that you have the following dates logged in your diary:

•    BIR World Recycling Convention & Exhibition, (19) 20 - 22 May 2019, Singapore

•    BIR World Recycling Convention (Round-Table Sessions), (13) 14 - 15 October 2019, Budapest

Our events provide a powerful, global platform for business. Sponsoring or exhibiting at these well-known gatherings will provide you with a great opportunity to showcase your know-how, products and services to a highly relevant audience.

Registrations for BIR Singapore 2019 will open beginning of February. For more information contact bir@bir.org.

Preliminary schedule of meetings - World Recycling Convention & Exhibition, Singapore, (19) 20-22 May 2019

Sunday, 19 May 2019      

14.00-18.00         Registration desk opening hours
All day                Internal meetings

Monday, 20 May 2019
                
08.30-18.30         Registration desk opening hours
09.00-18.00         Exhibition / Networking area / Gold Member lounge opening hours

09.30-10.30         Paper Division
11.00-12.00         Non Ferrous Metals Division
13.30-14.30         Stainless Steel & Special Alloys Committee
15.00-16.00         E-Scrap Committee
16.30-17.30         International Trade Council
19.30-22.00         Welcome Evening

Tuesday, 21 May 2019

08.30-18.00         Registration desk opening hours
09.00-18.00         Gold Member lounge opening hours
09.00-20.00         Exhibition / Networking area opening hours

09.30-10.30         Ferrous Division
10.30-11.30         Shredder Committee
11.30-12.30         World Council of Recycling Associations
14.00-15.00         Annual General Assembly
15.00-16.00         Keynote Session
16.30-17.30         International Environment Council
18.00-20.00         "Meet the Exhibitors" Party
18.30-22.00         BIR National Association Directors meeting & dinner

Wednesday, 22 May 2019             

08.30-15.00         Registration desk opening hours
09.00-15.00         Networking area / Gold Member lounge opening hours

09.30-10.30         Plastics Committee
10.45-11.45         Tyres & Rubber Committee
12.00-13.00         Textiles Division

Global Recycling Day named 'Educational Initiative of the Year' by Waste Dive

Global Recycling Day has been named Educational Initiative of the Year by Waste Dive, a leading global industry news publisher.

The 2018 Dive Awards recognise the industry’s top disruptors and innovators. These executives, companies, trends and breakthroughs are transforming the industry and shaping the future. Waste Dive solicited suggestions for title nominees from its 123,000 readers and winners were chosen by the editors of Waste Dive based on resonance and industry impact.

“At a time when the role of recycling is changing around the world, and the desire for environmental action is growing, BIR's new campaign has been well received,” said Cole Rosengren, Senior Editor at Waste Dive.

BIR established Global Recycling Day in 2018 to help achieve its goal of greater international recognition of the benefits of recycling. The inaugural Global Recycling Day took place on 18 March 2018 and was an unprecedented success, with more than 13 million people across the globe actively participating in the day. (…) Read more

Recycling Foundation asks children from across the world to be better recycling citizens on Global Recycling Day, 18 March 2019

Youth and education is a key pillar of Global Recycling Day’s 2019 theme “Recycling into the Future” which was announced in October. Global Recycling Day 2019 will focus on the power of youth, education and innovation in ensuring a brighter future for the planet.

The seven recycling promises to become a global recycling citizen are:

1.    How can I use less things made of plastic, and recycle those that cannot be reused? Things like drinking bottles, straws and plastic bags.
2.    Am I making sure me and my family, and my school, follow our local recycling instructions?
3.    Am I doing all I can to make sure the stuff we recycle is dry, clean and in the right collection bins each week?
4.    Do I really need everything to be new - am I mending, repairing and reusing the things I own (e.g. clothes, toys, games)?
5.    How can I learn more about recycling, and how can I help my family and my friends also be more aware?
6.    Do I know how to recycle things like electronics when I no longer want them?
7.    Do I recycle packaging when I open and use new things?

(...) Read more

BIR's membership keeps growing: 2018 saw 93 new members join our ranks

BIR is happy to report that we closed the year 2018 with a total of 93 members that joined our ranks in the past 12 months. While mergers and company closures due to difficult economic conditions led to a certain number of cancellation, our overall membership base increased by 33. These new members come from across the globe; although the European continent is still font runner, it is surely closely followed by Asia (mainly India and Pakistan).

In the course of the last 3 months of 2018, BIR welcomed 12 new members, who we are delighted to introduce below:

KARS METALLURGICAL MARKETING LTD from United Arab Emirates
RECYCLED PRODUCTS LTD from United Kingdom
CENWIN LIMITED from China
DYNAMIC METAL  SERVICES from USA
RAYANCO SAUDIA FACTORY CO. LTD from Saudi Arabia
AFEX LIMITED from United Kingdom
ALLAH TAWAQAL ENGINEERING from Pakistan
GLOBAL METALS NETWORK LIMITED from China
LONDON CHEMICALS AND RESOURCES LTD from United Kingdom
PUNIA ZINOX PRIVATE LIMITED from India
SC ROSECO SRL from Romania
ROTOBEC INC. from Canada

Although BIR membership has its initial roots and thus a major footprint in Europe, its evolution together with these latest statistics clearly articulate the worldwide and global essence of our organization.

Thanks to our new simplified membership application procedure, interested companies were able to join without any major administrative delay, while still undergoing the usual vetting process in accordance with our membership rules and code of conduct. The new interactive webpage provides visitors with a detailed presentation of BIR's services to members;  it better explains BIR membership categories, their specific and exclusive advantages/benefits, the related fees, as well as a Frequently Asked Questions section to clarify any query a potential member might have before, during and after the application process.”

It seems clear that our membership services and benefits, together with BIR’s reputation as the sole world federation of recycling industries, played an important part in attracting new members and maintaining the loyalty of our long-standing existing members.  Moreover, the privilege of participating in the unique forum of our bi-annual conventions provides another major advantage. The close cooperation between the Convention and the Membership Committees ensures that ever-improving framework conditions for enhanced business opportunities at our events provide maximum benefit for all participants, convincing many one-time observers that they should permanently join our ranks.