What we recycle

Plastics

Plastics are composed of polymers i.e., compounds made of many small molecules.

Ferrous metals

Ferrous metals, primarily composed of iron, include materials like steel and cast iron, which are commonly found in construction, manufacturing, and transportation.

Non-Ferrous metals

Non-ferrous metals, such as aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, and titanium, do not contain iron and are valued for their resistance to corrosion and high conductivity.

Paper

Recycled paper is a versatile material that can replace or supplement virgin pulp to create new products like packaging, newspapers, and insulation.

Textiles

Textiles, including both synthetic fibers like polyester and natural fibers like cotton, are integral to daily life, with global production nearly tripling since 1975.

Tyres

Tyres contain multiple valuable materials such as rubber (75%), steel (15%) and textile fibres (10%).

Construction & Demolition

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste includes materials like concrete, bricks, wood, metals, glass, plastics, and hazardous substances such as asbestos.

End-of-life Vehicles

End-of-life Vehicles (ELVs) contain valuable materials like metals (steel, aluminum), plastics, rubber, and glass, as well as batteries.

E-waste

E-waste, otherwise referred to as waste electronical and electronic equipment (WEEE), is mainly composed of non-ferrous metals (nickel, copper, lead, etc.

Ships

End-of-life ships are decommissioned vessels that contain valuable materials like steel, metals, and electronics, along with hazardous substances such as asbestos, oils, and toxic chemicals.

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BOPP films continue to advance despite a constantly changing regional landscape

BOPP films remain an integral part of global delivery of goods, and investment in capacity indicates continued confidence in its future July 2026 — AMI Market Intelligence has released the new edition of its authoritative report offering a deep dive into the global BOPP films market, providing industry stakeholders and investors with a comprehensive analysis […]

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Putting recycled materials at the centre of the Critical Raw Materials Centre: Recycling Europe’s response to the European Commission’s Call for Evidence

Introduction Securing access to Critical Raw Materials (CRM) is crucial to strengthening Europe’s resilience and competitiveness. The creation of the CRM-Centre (CRM-C) is therefore a step in the right direction. This new EU body could help create demand for recycled materials, a much-needed element to scale recycling capacities in Europe. But for this, the CRM-C […]

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Joint recommendations for unleashing the circular potential of inert Construction and Demolition Waste

Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) is the largest waste stream in the EU, accounting for over a third of all waste generated. As such, it plays a pivotal role in achieving the EU’s circularity and decarbonisation objectives, and particularly the goal of doubling the circular material use rate by 2030, as outlined in the Clean […]

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Enabling EU industrial policy through improved circular material flows: A proportionate green-list route for non-hazardous intra-EU e-waste shipments

The European e-waste value chain calls on the European Commission to ensure that non-hazardous e-waste destined for recovery within the EU continue to benefit from the green-list procedure under the Waste Shipment Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 beyond 1 January 2027. This is essential to preserve efficient intra-EU circular material flows and support European circular value chains. […]

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BUILDERS: New EU project to design, test and validate Extended Producer Responsibility schemes for construction products

Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) is Europe’s largest waste streams, yet the implementation of the EPR principle in the construction sector remains limited and fragmented. Where schemes do exist, they are fragmented and inconsistent across Member States, leaving producers, recyclers and authorities without the common rules needed to keep construction products and their materials in […]

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CLEANMAT: New EU project to cut emissions and flux use in aluminium recycling through digital sorting, intelligent pre-treatment and advanced melt refining

Recycling aluminium uses a fraction of the energy of primary production and is central to a circular metals industry. Yet conventional recycling still relies on hazardous fluxing agents and chemical cleaning, and generates significant emissions such as particulates, VOCs, dioxins and salt slag waste  while struggling to turn mixed, contaminated scrap into high-quality alloys. CLEANMAT […]

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War is not a business model: Europe’s plastics recycling industry needs urgent structural solutions

Brussels, 23 June 2026 – The sharp increase in oil prices during the first quarter of 2026, driven by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, temporarily altered the economics of the plastics market. As virgin plastics suddenly became more expensive, Europe’s plastics recycling industry experienced short-term relief from years of struggling with weak demand for […]

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A rescue plan for Europe’s plastics recycling crisis: EU Recyclers’ recommendations

The sharp increase in oil prices during the first quarter of 2026, driven by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, temporarily altered the economics of the plastics market. As virgin plastics suddenly became more expensive, Europe’s plastics recycling industry experienced short-term relief from years of struggling with weak demand for recycled plastics and unfair competition […]

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Financing Europe’s circular economy: EU Recyclers’ recommendations for effective Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes

Extended Producer Responsibility Schemes have the potential to serve as an effective mechanism for financing the environmentally sound management of products at their end of their life cycle. Over the past decades, EPR schemes have contributed to significant improvements in waste collection and recycling rates across several sectors. Despite these advances, the implementation of EPR […]

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