Abstract

This paper assesses the value of recycling based methods of steel manufacture in Uganda and the level at which it is likely to be successfully depended on especially if no serious iron ore exploitation is done. By analyzing the factors that underlie steel re-melting in Uganda, this study aims at highlighting the conditions that surround the reliable production of scrap based steel and the sustainability credentials and strategies involving steel with particular attention to the recycling at the end-of-life of products and the ultimately related product recycled content, spelling out the life cycle related issues for steel products basing on International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards on life cycle assessment (LCA)/Life cycle inventory (LCI) ISO 14040:2006 and 14044:2006 as adopted by the International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI). The results of this investigation show that owing to the relatively low quality of scrap, the burden lifted from the environment when the recycling route is used is lower in Uganda than in more industrialized countries. It has also been shown that only 300 kg of each 1000 kg of obsolete steel equipment are recycled to the national stock of steel scrap; showing that the amount of steel available for recycling is significantly lower than the current national demand for new steel products, creating a problem of continuity in the national steel production.

Key words: Recycled content, recycling value, steel making, steel recycling, sustainability, Ugandan steel.