Talking to someone at our local engineering firm the other day, he told me that the Chinese are buying up all the scrap metal they can get their hands on and this is pushing up the price of new steel.
What are they buying it for????????
They are buying it to melt down and make new steel as they are struggling to get enough steel imported. They don't just import, they are also increasing their steel production capacity by building enough steel plants to put Sheffield of the olden days to shame.
For the last couple of years they have had industrial growth of very large proportions (ever since joining the WTO and making the right noises about stopping their technology stealing and ignoring patent law).
Since 2004 they have the 3rd largest market for cars, and if the growth had continued at the same rate, in 10 years they would have been #1 (buying more new cars than the Yanks!!!!).
Fortunately the Chinese Government has introduced a lot of restrictions to slow down the growth as it is damaging the world economy and when things become unsustainable, everyone looses out.
Anyway - the days of the Scrap man wanting money to remove derelict cars is long gone (despite what they might say) as the present price of scrap steal should makes it worthwhile to be a breakers yard ;-)
, may be moving to LA for a little while 
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Otherwise you get the lovely white powdery residue that wafts gently in the breeze! Oh and bad lungs. 
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