# Recycling – Find a buyer

> A picture of the market – not a commercial recommendation. No prices, ratings or rankings; ordered by straight-line distance or alphabetically. Contact through the company website; the register holds no personal data.

Smelters, secondary refineries, remelters, rod mills and plants with their own melting, as well as scrap processors and traders from the Companies register – by metal, scrap grade, distance from the shipping point and country. For each plant: the company, the type of buyer, the grades accepted according to documents, sources with their class and a general description of the shipment procedure.

- buyer plants: 850; companies: 615; countries: 30
- Data as of: 2026-10-20, version 2.31; grade dictionary version 1.0
- Metal: aluminium; Scrap grade (optional): all grades – buyers of the metal; Area: also United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Türkiye; Type of buyer: both
- Page: https://www.ai-waw.com/en/recycling?metal=al&country=CH&scope=wide
- JSON: https://www.ai-waw.com/en/recycling.json; Scrap code translator: https://www.ai-waw.com/en/recycling/codes.md

## Buyers in the register

| Metal | smelter | smelter – type of plant | processor | plants in total | companies | with a documented grade |
|---|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|
| copper | 30 | 82 | 284 | 396 | 259 | 84 |
| aluminium | 158 | 270 | 302 | 730 | 515 | 127 |

## Buyers (22)

| Company | Plant | Country of seat | Type of buyer | Accepted grades | km | Shipment procedure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---:|---|---|
| [Alu Menziken Extrusions AG](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/alu-menziken-extrusions-ag.md) | Alu Menziken Extrusions AG, Menziken | CH | smelter (scrap intake inferred from the type of plant, not from a document) | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [C] Company website (montana-aerospace.com) |
| [Aluminium Laufen AG Liesberg](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/aluminium-laufen-ag-liesberg.md) | Liesberg – extrusion plant for profiles, tubes and bars, Liesberg | CH | smelter (scrap intake inferred from the type of plant, not from a document) | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Company website – imprint (UID CHE-102.242.106) |
| [Arnold Schmid Recycling AG](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/arnold-schmid-recycling-ag.md) | Beringen – non-ferrous scrap and e-scrap yard, Beringen | CH | processor | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Loacker website – ASR Beringen location |
| [Constellium](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/constellium.md) | Steg, Steg | CH | smelter | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Aluminium Stewardship Initiative, member profile “Constellium” – Performance Standard V3, certificate no. 38 Rev. 2, 28.07.2024–27.07.2027 (ASI data, CC BY 4.0 licence) |
| [Constellium Valais SA](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/constellium-valais-sa.md) | Chippis and Steg casthouses, Sierre (Chippis, Steg) | CH | smelter (scrap intake inferred from the type of plant, not from a document) | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Company website (constellium.com) |
| [DHZ AG](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/dhz-ag.md) | Oberglatt – supersort®metall installation (non-ferrous metal concentrates from slag and shredder residues), Oberglatt | CH | processor | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Company website – supersort®metall |
| [Kuster Recycling AG](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/kuster-recycling-ag.md) | Wil – non-ferrous scrap yard and e-scrap dismantling, Wil | CH | processor | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Loacker website – Kuster Recycling (Wil) location |
| [Loacker Swiss Recycling AG](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/loacker-swiss-recycling-ag.md) | Bern – non-ferrous scrap and e-scrap yard, Bern | CH | processor | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Loacker website – Bern location |
| [Loacker Swiss Recycling AG](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/loacker-swiss-recycling-ag.md) | Emmen – non-ferrous scrap and e-scrap yard, Emmen | CH | processor | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Loacker website – Emmen location |
| [Novelis Switzerland SA](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/novelis-switzerland-sa.md) | Sierre plant (foundry with recycling line), Sierre | CH | smelter (scrap intake inferred from the type of plant, not from a document) | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Company website (novelis.com) |
| [Schläpfer Altmetall AG](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/schlapfer-altmetall-ag.md) | St. Gallen – non-ferrous scrap yard, St. Gallen | CH | processor | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Loacker website – Schläpfer Altmetall location |
| [Thommen AG](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/thommen-ag.md) | Aarwangen – non-ferrous metal yard (formerly Zimmerli AG), Aarwangen | CH | processor | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Thommen website – non-ferrous metals (receiving locations) |
| [Thommen AG](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/thommen-ag.md) | Amriswil – non-ferrous metal yard (formerly Georges Bleiker AG), Amriswil | CH | processor | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Thommen website – non-ferrous metals (receiving locations) |
| [Thommen AG](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/thommen-ag.md) | Bern – non-ferrous metal yard (formerly H. Späti AG), Bern | CH | processor | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Thommen website – non-ferrous metals (receiving locations) |
| [Thommen AG](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/thommen-ag.md) | Bex – non-ferrous metal yard (formerly Cablofer Recycling SA), Bex | CH | processor | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Thommen website – Bex location |
| [Thommen AG](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/thommen-ag.md) | Biel/Bienne – non-ferrous metal yard (formerly Halter Rohstoff AG), Biel/Bienne | CH | processor | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Thommen website – non-ferrous metals (receiving locations) |
| [Thommen AG](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/thommen-ag.md) | Givisiez – non-ferrous metals yard (formerly Karl Kaufmann AG Recycling), Givisiez | CH | processor | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Thommen website – non-ferrous metals (receiving locations) |
| [Thommen AG](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/thommen-ag.md) | Kaiseraugst – headquarters, shredder and non-ferrous metals yard, Kaiseraugst | CH | processor | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Thommen website – Kaiseraugst location (registered office) |
| [Thommen AG](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/thommen-ag.md) | Lancy – non-ferrous metals yard, Lancy | CH | processor | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Thommen website – non-ferrous metals (receiving locations) |
| [Thommen AG](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/thommen-ag.md) | Regensdorf – non-ferrous metals yard (formerly Metallum Metallhandel AG), Regensdorf | CH | processor | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Thommen website – Regensdorf location |
| [Thommen AG](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/thommen-ag.md) | Thörishaus – non-ferrous metals yard (formerly Karl Kaufmann AG Recycling), Thörishaus | CH | processor | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Thommen website – non-ferrous metals (receiving locations) |
| [Vögele Recycling AG](https://www.ai-waw.com/en/companies/vogele-recycling-ag.md) | Chur – non-ferrous scrap and e-scrap yard, Chur | CH | processor | grades not established in the register documents | – | – | [B] Loacker website – Vögele Recycling (Chur) location |

Straight-line distance (great circle) from the shipping point – not road distance.

## Shipment procedure

- **same country** – shipment within the country – national rules
- **other EU country** – shipment between EU Member States – green-listed scrap: Article 18 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1157, document in Annex VII
- **export from the EU** – export from the EU – provisions of Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 on exports from the Union and the rules of the country of import

The description of the shipment procedure is general and does not constitute legal advice. Legal status as of 20 October 2026: Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 of the European Parliament and of the Council on shipments of waste. The classification of the waste and the obligations of the parties are determined case by case.

## EU scrap market

### Copper scrap

| Year | of which from outside the EU (t) | of which to outside the EU (t) |
|---|---:|---:|
| 2015 | 570,304 | 843,290 |
| 2016 | 534,485 | 822,093 |
| 2017 | 517,357 | 873,180 |
| 2018 | 519,608 | 637,072 |
| 2019 | 554,208 | 696,487 |
| 2020 | 552,211 | 605,776 |
| 2021 | 529,241 | 678,606 |
| 2022 | 541,627 | 489,730 |
| 2023 | 451,492 | 531,200 |
| 2024 | 408,105 | 608,438 |
| 2025 | 476,276 | 648,532 |
| 2026 (incomplete year) | 319,196 | 492,141 |

### Aluminium scrap

| Year | of which from outside the EU (t) | of which to outside the EU (t) |
|---|---:|---:|
| 2015 | 465,295 | 679,385 |
| 2016 | 520,286 | 681,610 |
| 2017 | 567,587 | 717,534 |
| 2018 | 611,053 | 704,414 |
| 2019 | 665,746 | 834,518 |
| 2020 | 602,187 | 946,776 |
| 2021 | 563,142 | 1,114,384 |
| 2022 | 702,956 | 992,253 |
| 2023 | 607,586 | 1,165,920 |
| 2024 | 657,263 | 1,257,738 |
| 2025 | 652,372 | 1,277,301 |
| 2026 (incomplete year) | 462,043 | 853,182 |

## Rules

- **Buyer from the Companies register** – A scrap buyer is a register plant in a smelting link (smelter, secondary refinery, ingot caster, rod mill) or a processing link (recycling, shredding, granulation, e-waste recycling), with copper or aluminium, not closed, in the EU-27 or – as an option – in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway and Türkiye.
- **Semi-finished product plants and foundries** – Rolling mills, wire drawing plants, extrusion plants and foundries with copper or aluminium are “smelter” buyers: scrap intake is inferred from the type of plant, not from a document – marked and can be excluded with a filter.
- **Grade only from a document** – A grade entry for a plant exists only when a primary document (purchase page, grade list, permit with waste codes, register) names the grade, the waste code or the scrap CN code for that plant. A general “we buy scrap” without the metal is not an entry.
- **Distance** – Distance is the straight-line (great-circle) distance from the shipping point; it is not road distance or transport cost.
- **Unit value** – The trade unit value (EUR/t) comes from Comext trade declarations – it approximates the price level and is not a market price. The portal publishes no price agency or LME quotations.
- **Procedure** – The description of the shipment procedure is general, with the legal act and the date of the legal status – it is not legal advice.
- **Picture of the market** – The list of buyers is a picture of the market – not a commercial recommendation; no rankings, ratings or personal data.

Pages of the Recycling tab and their Markdown versions: text and data mining (including model training) allowed with attribution (ai-waw.com). Data files (.json, .csv, .xlsx) are reserved (Art. 4(3) Directive (EU) 2019/790), like the data files of the Companies register.