BIR CONVENTION: BIR will expel members exporting hazardous waste, Veys says

Paragraph entered by Atlantic migration, in order for SteelFirst articles to display correctly on Metal Bulletin.

The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) will expel any members found guilty of exporting hazardous waste to Indonesia, director general Francis Veys said on Tuesday May 29.

Indonesia’s customs authorities stepped up checks on imports earlier this year after toxic chemicals and other hazardous materials were found in a number of containers.

Due to these stringent checks, the country’s mills have not been able to get containerised scrap released for use in their electric arc furnaces. The situation is pushing some mills to buy billet instead.

The BIR said on the first night of its world recycling convention and exhibition in Rome that if any member company is found to have exported hazardous waste, its membership will be rescinded.

Those implicated will also have their membership suspended while any investigation is undertaken, Veys added.

“Whether it’s hazardous waste or non-hazardous waste, BIR will keep [the] membership [of any companies involved] on hold,” Veys said. “After [this, the matter] will go to the committee and then, if they are found guilty, they will be expelled from the organisation.”