Glencore Recycling

We have over 50 years' experience in the recycling industry and are one of the world’s largest recyclers of electronics and a major recycler of secondary copper, gold, silver, platinum and palladium. We operate within a fully integrated smelting-refining system, with five recycling facilities and four commercial offices in North America, Europe and Malaysia.

A wide range of materials from over 18 countries comprise the feed stream for our recycling operations. Approximately 15% of the raw material feed for our smelting operation is from recyclable materials.

Offering sustainable recycling solutions 

Glencore continues to provide sustainable recycling solutions for a wide array of materials. Our fully-integrated smelting-refining system ensures our clients’ materials are recycled in a safe, environmentally and socially responsible way.

Our recycling business is comprised of a copper smelter and refinery in Canada, two sampling facilities in the United States, a partial recovery facility in Malaysia and commercial offices in North America and Europe.

History

• 1927 Horne copper mine and copper smelter developed

• 1931 CCR refinery completed

• 1976 Increased focus on recycling and secondary feeds as Horne mine closes

• 1984 Noranda acquired Micro Metallics

• 1988 Patents received for Noranda Sampler

• 1997 Strategic alliance formed with Hewlett Packard. Separation plant built in Roseville, California

• 2000 Second material separation plant brought on line in Nashville, Tennessee

• 2003 Third material separation plant started up in Brampton, Ontario, Canada

• 2003 Noranda Inc. reorganized recycling business unit, renaming Micro Metallics to Noranda Recycling Inc.

• 2005 Full merger with Falconbridge completed. Parent company name changed to Falconbridge Limited, with recycling operations continuing to operate as Noranda Recycling Inc.

• 2005 Noranda Recycling Inc. established a commercial office in Penang, Malaysia

• 2005 All five recycling sites achieved ISO 14001 registration

• 2006 Xstrata plc acquired Falconbridge Limited, including Noranda Recycling Inc.

• 2007 Noranda Recycling Inc. sold end-of-life electronics business to Sims Group, including Roseville, Nashville and Brampton plants but maintained ownership of the Rhode Island and San Jose sampling facilities.

• 2007 Noranda Recycling Inc. was re-named Xstrata Recycling Inc.

• 2013 Xstrata plc merged with Glencore International plc to form Glencore Xstrata plc

Overview

Glencore is a world leader in the recycling of complex copper and precious metal materials. We are continuously sourcing new streams of recyclable materials from new and existing customers and industries.Our state-of-the-art technology and expertise in the recycling business ensure that you get fair and accurate value for your recyclable materials.

Materials recycled 

Glencore can accept a wide variety of complex recyclable materials. If your material is not listed below, please do not hesitate to contact us. Providing us with information on the material’s process of generation, physical characteristics and chemical composition will aid us in determining the best recycling solution for your material.

All new materials are subject to an evaluation process which includes environmental, hygiene, material handling and economic considerations. This approval procedure is essential to determine the most sustainable recycling solution for your material.

Once a material has been approved for recycling, we provide our clients with clear and comprehensive contractual terms and conditions for processing the material. These terms are tailored to fit individual circumstances and requirements and include competitive payment structure for copper and precious metals. Recyclable materials are received and processed at one of our five secure recycling facilities, each with their own unique capabilities.

By responsibly recycling electronics and other copper and precious metal bearing recyclable materials Glencore closes the loop between miners, manufacturers and consumers.Glencore issues annual Sustainability Reports describing our economic, social and environmental performance. Our objective is to report our sustainable development performance in a clear and transparent manner providing measurable indicators of our performance against published targets and outlining our new targets for the coming year.

 Benefits of proper recycling:

• Reduced requirement for mining
• Less landfill
• Less toxic waste in the environment
• Minimized liability for corporations
• Healthier communities and citizens

Environment 

In line with Glencore's strategic objectives, we strive for industry leadership in environmental performance. The environmental management systems in place at each of our sites and operations are aligned with Glencore’s Values, Code of Conduct and Glencore Corporate Practice. We routinely assess our performance against these systems and standards.

Our operations and projects are required to meet and, where practicable, exceed relevant laws, regulations and standards. Every year, our operations set robust targets to reduce carbon and energy intensity, fresh water use in arid regions, and sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions that go beyond the requirements of local regulations and encourage continuous improvement.