Acetech Metals, a long-standing player in the UK metals recycling sector, has entered liquidation, with its operational assets now being offered for sale. The North of England-based company, founded in 1998, processed ferrous metals and aluminium for domestic reuse and export markets, serving both industrial clients and waste management operators.
The company’s collapse follows mounting financial pressures across the recycling and metals sector. A voluntary liquidator, Richard Marchinton, was appointed in September 2025 to oversee the winding-up process, triggering the disposal of Acetech Metals’ plant, machinery, and equipment. BPI Asset Advisory has been appointed to manage the sale, which is being conducted via the firm’s online auction platform, with the auction scheduled to close on 22 January.
More than 80 lots of large-capacity plant and equipment are on offer, including material handlers from Liebherr and Fuchs, Caterpillar excavators, and dump trucks. Luke Hartshorn, Director at BPI Asset Advisory, said in the Express: “We anticipate strong interest in this disposal. The scale and specification of the machinery on offer make it particularly attractive to recyclers, demolition businesses, and contractors looking to increase capacity with equipment built for continuous, heavy-duty use.”
For nearly three decades, Acetech Metals operated a wide range of processing activities, including magnetic separation, mobile and static shearing, shredding, baling, and downstream handling. The company also handled used beverage cans (UBCs), tinplate, and ferrous material streams linked to Waste to Energy facilities, positioning itself as a versatile supplier within the UK metals recycling landscape.
In 2021, the business expanded its footprint by acquiring a 20-acre site in Scunthorpe, supported by a £3.25 million funding package. More recently, in July 2025, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with HyOrc Corporation to jointly develop a green methanol production facility at the Scunthorpe site. These moves illustrated the company’s ambitions to diversify into sustainable energy, but they were insufficient to safeguard its operations against broader market challenges.
The collapse of Acetech Metals comes amid ongoing difficulties for other UK operators. Notably, Unimetals Group, another major metals recycling firm, was placed into compulsory liquidation in November 2025 after failing to secure a buyer or new financing. Unimetals Recycling (UK) Ltd operated 27 sites nationwide and employed around 650 people, highlighting the scale of disruption affecting the sector.
As the auction of Acetech Metals’ assets proceeds, industry observers are watching closely to see which firms acquire the company’s specialist plant and machinery. The equipment’s heavy-duty specification and capacity make it a rare opportunity for recyclers, demolition contractors, and other industrial operators to expand operations quickly without the lead times associated with new machinery.
Acetech’s liquidation underscores the fragile state of the UK metals recycling market, which faces rising operational costs, challenging commodity pricing, and broader macroeconomic pressures. The disposal of the company’s assets marks the end of a 27-year chapter in the sector but may also provide a lifeline for other businesses looking to invest in high-specification recycling infrastructure.
