The metal recycling industry has called for a reclassification of recovered material and government intervention to help boost the quantity of material that is recycled in the UK.

The British Metal Recycling Association (BMRA) has launched a policy document, called 'Agenda for Change', in which it outlines the steps needed to improve metals recycling in the UK.

BMRA president Michael Wright said the sector contributed £5bn a year to the UK economy by reprocessing end-of-life vehicles, batteries and packaging, but said there was the potential for further growth.

"We believe we can do a lot more, with the right policy and regulatory framework in place," he said.

As such, the sector is calling for recovered metal to be classified as secondary raw material, rather than waste, to help firms be more competitive in the global market. The UK exports around 60% of the metal it recovers, the equivalent of 7.4m tonnes of ferrous and 1.5m tonnes of non-ferrous metal in 2006.

The sector also wants a regulatory framework that is "proportionate" to avoid Carbon Reduction Commitment Regulations imposing new regulatory burdens on emissions to recycling firms that are, BMRA said, "green" businesses.

The 'Agenda for Change' document also called for specific land use for recycling facilities and more energy-from-waste capacity. To read the document, click here.

The policy was launched on Tuesday (24 November) at a meeting between the sector and members of parliament in the House of Commons.

Environment minister Dan Norris attended the launch. He described the document as a "valuable opportunity to hear how government and industry can work together to strengthen the metal recycling sector's contribution [to protecting the environment] and help the UK meet producer responsibility targets".