SUNSHINE RecycleFlash Weekly: November 9-13, 2026

November 13, 2026

Gold Set for Weekly Drop

Gold prices recovered above $3,900 per ounce on Friday after declining for three consecutive sessions, but remained on track for a sharp weekly loss as a stronger US dollar and rising Treasury yields reflected growing expectations of more aggressive Federal Reserve rate hikes. The shift in market sentiment followed hotter-than-expected US consumer inflation data and hawkish comments from Fed officials, with some policymakers suggesting that a larger 50-basis-point rate increase may be necessary to contain inflation. Markets are currently pricing in around an 85% probability of a 25 bps rate hike in December, as well as a 15% chance of a larger 50 bps increase. Traders are also increasingly anticipating additional rate hikes next year. Meanwhile, gold faced further downward pressure from recovering oil prices after President Donald Trump stated that the US no longer needs a deal with Iran. (Source: Trading Economics)

Silver Heads for Weekly Loss

Silver prices recovered above $50 per ounce on Friday after declining in the previous session, but remained on track for a weekly loss as a stronger US dollar and rising Treasury yields reflected growing expectations of more aggressive Federal Reserve rate hikes. The shift in market sentiment followed hotter-than-expected US consumer inflation data and hawkish comments from Fed officials, with some policymakers suggesting that a larger 50-basis-point rate increase may be necessary to contain inflation. Markets are currently pricing in around an 85% probability of a 25 bps rate hike in December, as well as a 15% chance of a larger 50 bps increase. Traders are also increasingly anticipating additional rate hikes next year. Meanwhile, gold faced further downward pressure from recovering oil prices after President Donald Trump stated that the US no longer needs a deal with Iran. (Source: Trading Economics)

Copper Falls as Strong Dollar Weighs

Copper futures declined below $6.20 per pound, hitting four-month lows as the US dollar strengthened amid growing expectations of more aggressive Federal Reserve rate hikes following hotter-than-expected inflation data. Increasingly hawkish signals from Fed officials further supported the greenback, putting additional pressure on dollar-denominated commodities such as copper by making them more expensive for buyers using other currencies. Prices also came under pressure from rising inventories at the London Metal Exchange, which reached approximately 320,000 tons by mid-November, up considerably from August’s low of 205,000 tons. However, tighter physical supply in China provided some support, with domestic import premiums climbing to record levels in recent weeks. China has also struggled to replenish its inventories as significant volumes of copper have been diverted to the US ahead of potential import tariffs. (Source: Trading Economics)

U.S. Battery Recycling Faces Collection Challenges as Consumer Awareness Remains Limited

Despite widespread use of lithium-powered devices, nearly 70% of U.S. consumers do not know where to recycle lithium batteries, while more than 60% are unfamiliar with proper recycling procedures, according to research cited by Cirba Solutions. To address these gaps, the battery recycler is working with nonprofit organization Keep America Beautiful ahead of America Recycles Day on November 15. The initiative includes an interactive Battery Smarts Quiz, an educational video on safe battery preparation and WeRecycle Battery Boxes for consumer and business collection. Cirba Solutions processes manufacturing scrap and end-of-life batteries to recover valuable materials. The partnership highlights how limited public awareness and collection access can restrict feedstock availability, even when recycling facilities and processing technologies are already in place. (Source: Cirba Solutions)

MM Group Sells Majority Stake in Packaging Business in €2.4 Billion Deal with KPS

MM Group has agreed to sell 70% of its Packaging business to U.S. private equity firm KPS Capital Partners in a transaction valuing the division at €2.4 billion. MM Group will retain a 30% stake in the newly established holding company and continue participating in its future development. The transaction covers its Food & Premium Packaging and Pharma & Healthcare Packaging operations, while excluding businesses in Iran and Tunisia. Following completion, MM Group plans to concentrate on its Board & Paper operations, including cartonboard, recycled cartonboard and kraft paper. The company expects net cash proceeds of approximately €1.8 billion to €1.9 billion after its planned investment in the new holding company. Completion is expected in the first half of 2027, subject to regulatory approvals. The restructuring is relevant to the recovered-fibre market because MM Group will retain its paperboard business and maintain a long-term cartonboard supply relationship with the separated packaging company.（Source: MM Group）

EverMetal Strengthens European Presence with Advanced Alloys Acquisition

EverMetal Holdings has acquired Advanced Alloys, a Sheffield-based recycler specializing in high-performance superalloys and minor metals, adding a U.K. operating base to its existing U.S. business, CAI Custom Alloys. Advanced Alloys handles nickel- and cobalt-based materials, including superalloy turnings, and trades specialty metals such as tungsten, tantalum and niobium. The combined operations are expected to expand their sourcing networks, processing capabilities and geographic reach, serving manufacturers in aerospace, power generation, medical technology and other specialized industries. Financial terms were not disclosed. Backed by GEF Capital Partners, EverMetal plans to continue pursuing acquisitions across North America and Europe. The deal reflects continued consolidation in the specialty metals recycling market, where recovering high-value alloys from industrial waste can provide manufacturers with additional secondary raw material sources. （Source: EverMetal）

Closed Loop Partners Funds LEI Packaging's Expansion into Post-Consumer Fiber Recycling

Closed Loop Partners has provided a multi-million-dollar loan to Minnesota-based molded fiber packaging manufacturer LEI Packaging to support the development of its second production facility. The new plant is designed to process thousands of tons of post-consumer recycled fiber annually, expanding the company's capacity beyond the post-industrial materials handled at its existing facility. Equipped with a de-trashing system, the operation will process recovered fiber bales from municipal recycling streams and use the material to manufacture molded fiber products, including egg trays and cartons. The expansion is expected to create more than 20 permanent jobs, along with approximately 15 construction and development positions. The investment reflects growing efforts to establish reliable end markets for recovered paper, as expanding collection and sorting capacity also requires sufficient downstream demand. By incorporating post-consumer fiber into its manufacturing operations, LEI Packaging is creating an additional outlet for recovered paper and supporting the use of recycled materials in packaging production. (Source: Closed Loop Partners)

Global Plastic Packaging Recycling Rate Stands at 18%, New Data Platform Finds

Only around 18% of plastic packaging is recycled in practice across 50 countries, according to initial findings from the Packaging Data Hub, developed by Systemiq and Earth Action. The countries covered account for approximately 80% of global plastic packaging waste. Flexible packaging presents a particular challenge, representing about 40% of the packaging waste studied but achieving a practical recycling rate of only around 10%. The platform draws on more than 100 verified public and proprietary sources and tracks 12 packaging formats, allowing users to compare material placed on the market, collected for recycling and ultimately processed into recyclate. It also found that low- and middle-income markets with extended producer responsibility schemes have recycling rates around twice those without such systems. The findings point to persistent gaps in collection, sorting and processing infrastructure, particularly for flexible plastics. （Source: Systemiq）

EU Research Advances Marine Plastic Recycling with Sorting Purity Exceeding 95%

The European Union has supported new research into marine plastic recovery through CUPOLA, a four-year international project under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme. The research brought together 15 institutes and demonstrated a sorting technology capable of achieving plastic purity levels above 95%. In addition to mechanical separation, researchers examined pyrolysis and gasification as routes for converting recovered plastics into industrial chemicals, fuels, functional carbon materials and other products. Marine plastic often contains mixed polymers, sand, salt and other contaminants, making it difficult to process through conventional recycling systems. The project has also assessed process models and economic feasibility, with a pilot-scale facility identified as the next step. The results could expand recovery options for contaminated plastic waste, although commercial-scale application still requires further testing. (Source: European Research Executive Agency)

CRH Acquires Oregon Businesses, Expanding Construction Materials Recycling Capabilities

CRH Americas Materials has acquired the assets of Western Rock Resources and Columbia Northwest Recycling in Oregon, expanding its aggregate reserves and construction materials recycling capabilities in the Pacific Northwest. The acquired businesses operate four active quarries along the Interstate 5 corridor, supplying aggregates for asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and construction applications. The acquisition also adds construction materials recycling services to CRH's existing operations in northwest Oregon. The businesses are expected to strengthen the company's regional supply network, particularly across Portland, Salem and the Willamette Valley. CRH operates approximately 1,700 locations across North America and has around 30,000 employees. While the transaction primarily supports its aggregates business, the addition of construction materials recycling capabilities also expands its involvement in recovering and reusing materials generated by infrastructure and construction activities. The acquisition reflects continued consolidation in the construction materials sector, where recycling and recovered aggregates are becoming increasingly integrated into regional supply chains. (Source: CRH Americas Materials)

Umicore Invests €450 Million to Expand Precious Metals Recycling in Belgium

Belgian materials technology group Umicore has committed €450 million to expand its Precious Metals Refining operations in Hoboken, Belgium, strengthening its capacity to recover and process valuable metals from complex material streams. The investment will introduce a new hydrometallurgical processing system based on the company's proprietary technology, improving feedstock flexibility, shortening processing times for platinum group metals and increasing capacity for specialty metals such as antimony and tin. The expansion will also enable the facility to refine and recycle cobalt, adding an 18th metal to its existing processing portfolio. Selected by the European Commission as a strategic project under the Critical Raw Materials Act, the investment is expected to improve processing efficiency, environmental performance and operational safety through increased automation. Construction investment is scheduled to take place between 2027 and 2030, with commissioning expected in 2030. Umicore expects the project to have a payback period of approximately six years. The expansion will strengthen European recycling capacity for precious and specialty metals while supporting domestic recovery of materials important to industrial manufacturing and critical raw material supply chains. (Source: Umicore)

U.S. DOE Launches Lab-Led Initiative to Expand Domestic E-Waste Recovery and Critical Materials Recycling

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the Accelerator for Supply Chain, Economy, and National Development (ASCEND), a national laboratory-led initiative aimed at improving the recovery and recycling of critical materials from end-of-life electronics, including mobile phones, laptops and hard drives. Led by Idaho National Laboratory, with participation from the National Laboratory of the Rockies and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the initiative will examine the economic and operational barriers affecting different electronic scrap streams. Initial work will assess recovery costs, identify supply chain gaps and engage companies across the recycling value chain to understand obstacles to collection, processing and material reuse. The findings will help identify priority technologies and capabilities for further development. The initiative forms part of DOE's broader effort to strengthen domestic critical materials supply through recycling rather than relying solely on primary raw material production. (Source: U.S. Department of Energy)

EPA Highlights Food Waste Recovery and Community Recycling Initiatives in the U.S. Midwest

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 has highlighted regional efforts to reduce food waste and expand resource recovery through its Feed It Onward initiative, which brings together local organizations across the Midwest to redirect surplus food toward communities in need, agricultural use, composting and energy production. The initiative involves several organizations in Missouri and Iowa, including Compost Collective, Kanbe's Markets, KC Can Compost and Pete's Garden. Supported in part by an almost $5 million Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) grant awarded to Kansas City, Missouri, the regional program is expanding organic waste collection and developing partnerships with local markets to improve food rescue and waste diversion. Recent results include more than 49,000 pounds of compostable materials diverted from landfills by KC Can Compost during this summer's World Cup, while Pete's Garden recovered nearly 25,000 pounds of food, providing more than 20,000 meals to local families. The initiative demonstrates how cooperation between government agencies, community organizations and local businesses can reduce landfill waste while improving the recovery and redistribution of usable food and organic materials. (Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)