While 2023 started off on a largely quiet note for companies recovering and recycling waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in Germany, insiders still have mixed feelings as the new year begins. While the shortage of e-scrap input material for these companies to process persists, at the moment proceeds from sales of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal are surprisingly good.
However, costs continued to rise steeply in many areas, but they were only passed on in part amidst mounting competition for the appliances that were available. Market players are thus reporting almost no changes in treatment prices for most collection categories. Refrigeration appliances were the sole exception, with prices charged by recyclers climbing sharply, as expected.
The slump in volumes that began in some regions last year has now spread to all of Germany. Sources consistently reported arisings that were on the whole still very low. Insiders mentioned a small volume surplus around the Christmas and New Year period in a few cases. This effect is expected to be short-lived owing to the weather and the fact that February is traditionally a month of especially low collection volumes....
