Metals Recovery from Hazardous Waste Facing Financial Challenges

Low Prices for Recovered Metals and Competition from Less Expensive Alternatives Among Industry Challenges

Contacts: John McMurray: 952/831-2473, ext. 14
Cary Perket: 858/488-4760

April 19, 2001 — For Immediate Release

Edina, MN — The EI Digest: Hazardous Waste Marketplace, North America’s leading research service on hazardous waste management, announced the results of its annual survey of the commercial hazardous waste metals recovery sector. The report indicates a universe of 43 facilities operated by 28 companies. In addition, EI was able to obtain volume information for 32 of these firms, discovering over 600 thousand tons of metal-bearing hazardous waste was treated in total in 1998.

The report outlines some of the challenges facing the metals recovery sector. Among those challenges are low prices for recovered metals. In addition, the sector is not receiving the regulatory support expected from the adoption of the Pollution Prevent Act of 1990. In recent years, the EPA has approved alternatives to recycling technologies that lower the costs of hazardous waste generators, but are less preferable from the standpoint of resource conservation.

"With the slowdown in the nation’s economy, electronics manufacturing has significantly decreased. For metal recovery facilities that depend on treating waste streams from printed circuit board manufacturing, the situation likely means a decrease in profits," says EI researcher John McMurray. "However, the facilities that may experience growth in the coming year are those focusing on recovering mercury, often from fluorescent lamps. Many in the industry believe the EPA will enforce more regulations to keep mercury out of municipal landfills, creating business opportunities for mercury recyclers. In fact, 20 percent of the facilities surveyed indicated mercury as a top recovered metal."

"From our perspective, the disharmony between Canadian and U.S. environmental policies and regulations will have a significant impact on this sector. Canada has not adopted an equivalent waste management preference policy as the U.S. adopted in the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990," says EI Senior Analyst Cary Perket. "Although many in this sector question whether the EPA is really adhering to the 1990 Act, U.S. hazardous waste management regulations are more restrictive than Canadian regulations regarding treatment options like land disposal. Consequently, hazardous waste generators not only find Canadian alternatives that aren’t allowed in the U.S., but it is also cheaper because of favorable exchange rates, and in many cases, there is very low risk of future liability."

This report appeared in the EI Digest: Hazardous Waste Marketplace, a business research report published 10 times per year that covers hazardous waste management issues. Further information of the EI Digest can be found on ENVIROBIZ.COM (www.envirobiz.com), one of the Internet’s leading sites for proprietary and public environmental business information. Based in Edina, Minnesota, Environmental Information, Ltd. (EI) specializes in information and research on the environmental services and technology marketplace. EI provides original subscription-based research services. Among the services is the comprehensive compilation of the largest directory and database of environmental service firms, landfills and treatment, storage and disposal (TSD) facilities in North America. For further information, contact customer service at 952/831-2473.

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