【SMM Aluminum Flash News】UK’s aluminium scrap requirement estimated to hit 6Mt by 2035

Published: Jul 13, 2026 09:45

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The UK has an ambitious aluminium scrap equation to solve. Domestic industry is forecast to require as much as 6 million tonnes of aluminium scrap for recycling by 2035 to support the government’s projected 8 million tonnes of aluminium demand across sectors. Yet much of the metal needed to support that future is already flowing in the opposite direction. The UK exports almost half the aluminium scrap it generates, while imports fill only 27 per cent of the resulting gap. The trend has continued into 2026, with scrap exports rising 9 per cent year on year to 217,611 tonnes during January–April, from 200,374 tonnes a year earlier. Scrap is becoming increasingly important at home, but overseas buyers are competing for the same material.

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