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September 2026 Month-End: What Happened to Scrap Prices in Metals, Plastics, E-Waste and Biomass
September has closed, and each of our four material reports tells a different story. Copper went nowhere after a $750 swing, polymer prices rose round after round, lithium lost a quarter of its value, and Punjab's harvest season has begun. Here is the month in one page, with a link to the full report for your material.
Our Top 10 round-up covered the month's biggest rule changes, from Europe's draft scrap list to India's tighter import checks. The four reports below look at what the market did in September, material by material, and what changes on 1 October. Pick the one that matches your business, or read all four for the full picture.
The month in four numbers
| Material | The number that defined September | Full report |
|---|---|---|
| Metals | Copper ended within 1% of where it started, after swinging about $750 a tonne | Read the metals report |
| Plastics | At least seven days of polymer price revisions, with another round from 1 October | Read the plastics report |
| E-waste and batteries | Chinese lithium carbonate futures lost about a quarter of their value | Read the e-waste and batteries report |
| Biomass | 52 farm fires reported in Punjab by 29 September, as paddy buying opens on 1 October | Read the biomass report |
Metals: calm on the surface, busy underneath
Copper started September at about $14,396 a tonne on the London Metal Exchange and was about $14,475 on 29 September, but only after dropping to $14,044 and climbing to $14,797 in between. Warehouse stocks told a clearer story: copper and zinc stocks rose, while lead stocks fell by about a tenth. At home, India's finished steel imports rose 29.5% in April to August, even as the country's crude steel output grew faster than the world's.
Read it if you trade copper, brass, zinc, lead or ferrous scrap. Go to the metals report
Plastics: a squeeze in the middle of the chain
Polymer makers changed their price lists at least seven times during September, and a further round, from Reliance and OPaL, starts on 1 October. Film prices went the other way, with BOPP and BOPET film cut twice in a week. Converters are caught between rising resin and falling film prices, which makes recycled granules more attractive.
Read it if you collect, trade, recycle or convert plastic. Go to the plastics report
E-waste and batteries: falling prices, leaking value
China's lithium carbonate futures lost roughly a quarter of their value in September, and payables for every major type of black mass slipped week after week. A NITI Aayog event this year put the value lost in India's e-waste at about ₹21,000 crore of a recoverable ₹30,600 crore, with the formal sector capturing only about 9%.
Read it if you recycle batteries or electronics, or collect them. Go to the e-waste and batteries report
Biomass: the harvest clock is running
By 29 September, Punjab had 52 reported farm fires, and the state starts buying paddy on 1 October, aiming for 180 lakh tonnes. Six biogas plants are running in the state, with 46 more in the pipeline. From 1 November, the new ethanol year is likely to lean more on grain, since high sugar prices make diverting cane less attractive.
Read it if you work with straw, pellets, biogas or ethanol. Go to the biomass report
What changes on 1 October
- Polymer prices: new Reliance and OPaL revisions take effect.
- Paddy procurement: government buying opens in Punjab.
- EPR portal: the portal for aluminium, copper and zinc is due.
Coming up in October
- 7 October: GST Council meeting.
- 16 October: Last day to comment on Europe's draft scrap list.
- 31 October: Aluminium, copper and zinc producers file their first six-monthly EPR returns.
- 1 November: Ethanol supply year begins and brick kilns move to 30% straw pellets.
The bottom line
September's rules set the direction, and its numbers show the pressure: volatile copper, rising resin, falling lithium and a harvest that is only beginning. Each report shows what that means for your material in October.
Discussion
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