Recycling Association
of
South Africa
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nancy@recyclingassociation.org.za
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In the News
RASA is actively involved in shaping the future of the scrap metal recycling industry.
Recent examples include:
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2026 Competition Commission investigations — Welcomed dawn raids on alleged price-fixing by major scrap buyers and called for suspension of the Price Preference System (PPS) to restore fair competition and support small and informal players.
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2025 Tribunal ruling on buyers’ cartel — Joint call (with MRA and SRC) for a full independent inquiry into all government policies affecting metal recycling.
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Policy submissions to the dtic — Detailed reports highlighting how current policies (e.g., PPS and export duties) reduce scrap values, discourage recycling, and contradict circular economy goals — while proposing balanced reforms to boost local supply, jobs, and sustainability.
These efforts demonstrate RASA’s commitment to fair trade, economic inclusion, environmental responsibility, and industry viability.
February 2026 – Competition enforcement and fair competition
RASA welcomed the Competition Commission’s dawn raids (13 February 2026) on major scrap metal buyers as part of an investigation into alleged coordinated price-fixing of shredded and processed scrap metal.
Coverage emphasised RASA’s call to dismantle buyer-side cartels, suspend the PPS, conduct a forensic investigation into its manipulation, and remove export taxes to foster fair competition, reduce barriers for small businesses, informal collectors, waste pickers, and historically disadvantaged firms, and restore market equilibrium.
(Reported in Engineering News, The Star Business Report, and related outlets.)
May 2025 – Policy submissions on circular economy and disincentives
RASA’s detailed submission to the dtic, “The Impact of Current Policies on South Africa’s Metals Recycling Sector” (authored by Geoff Borrajeiro and Nancy Strachan), critiqued policies like the PPS and export duties for reducing scrap values, discouraging recycling, causing job losses, and contradicting Waste Act goals. It advocated for balanced reforms (e.g., zeroing PPS discounts, reducing export duties) to incentivise local supply, stimulate secondary raw materials for manufacturing, support job creation, and advance a thriving circular economy. This was referenced in industry discussions and parliamentary contexts.
Access the presentation made to the DTIC Portfolio Committee here.
Scrap metal sector calls for broader changes as price-fixing probe highlights fault lines.
South Africa’s scrap metal recyclers have zeroed in on the International Trade Administration Commission’s (Itac) refusal to scrap the “seller pays for transport” clause in its Price Preference System (PPS) amendments, labelling it a tool that entrenches cartel dominance and crushes remote suppliers.
In a response endorsed by the Recycling Association of South Africa, CEO Nancy Strachan, Metal Recyclers Association chairperson Quintin Starkey, and Scrap Recycling Coalition chairperson Mark Fine, the changes are described as “a betrayal of fair trade and economic justice”. The amendments were gazetted on October 31.
Ongoing 2025 coverage (e.g., November 2025) on scrap metal regulation debate
Reports on ITAC’s regulatory changes and broader scrap metal policy highlighted RASA’s joint statements (with MRA and SRC) criticising measures seen as a “betrayal of fair trade,” while pushing for equitable solutions that benefit the entire recycling value chain, including informal participants.
https://www.steelradar.com/en/haber/scrap-metal-regulation-sparks-ongoing-debate-in-south-africa/
