About Metal Theft

Sims Metal Management is committed to preventing metal theft. In addition to following all of the applicable local and state ordinances, the company - at great time and expense - trains employees to identify stolen material and who should or should not be in possession of certain scrap materials, such as lamp posts, beer kegs, etc.

If anyone at our scales has a concern about materials that may be stolen, or a person who may be acting suspiciously regarding potentially stolen materials, it is our policy to reject the material and contact the authorities. We take ID from every customer and log a detailed transaction report.

Help Stop Metal Theft

Be Vigilant: It's important for both the public and law enforcement to be suspicious of people hanging around or tampering with metal theft targets. These targets include: construction sites, street lighting, pumps and farm equipment, manholes, sewer grates and statues. Even recyclers are victims of metal theft. The debate seems to be entirely focused on the prosecution of these crimes instead of the prevention. Prevention of the crime is always better than prosecution - the cost of damage inflicted during a crime is usually much higher than that of the stolen material itself.

Work Together: As many in law enforcement and other agencies can attest, real results can only be achieved through cooperation between recyclers and the affected parties. If you are a victim of metal theft, notify local recyclers, as quickly as possible. Sims Metal Management encourages businesses, organizations and other constituencies to educate our organization and employees on the types of materials that have been or might be stolen. We've conducted such meetings with local trade and business organizations, farm bureaus, law enforcement and utilities.

Mark Materials: If recyclers can recognize marked material, we're more likely to identify it as stolen. The use of microdots, identifiable wire and other markings can alert a recycler to help recover stolen material. Only certain people should have certain types of metal materials.

ISRI Theft Alerts: Our industry association, ISRI, has set up a Theft Alert System to notify recyclers as soon as the theft occurs. The system sends a description and photos of the material to regional, state and national recyclers. Please visit www.isri.org/theft for more information and to report a theft. This is a powerful tool for law enforcement and victims of metal theft and has resulted in many arrests.

Why "Tag & Hold" Ordinances Don't Work: Ordinances including "Tag & Hold" provisions do not work. First, "Tag & Hold" laws and ordinances punish responsible recyclers by literally putting them out of business. The space requirements and other logistics of "Tag & Hold" are impossible for even the most advanced recycling facility to accommodate. Large warehouses would be required to store and inventory the thousands of tons of material recyclers purchase each day.

Second, recycling is a commodity business. Recyclers buy material at a specified price based on that day's market. The recycler relies on being able to turn around as quickly as possible and sell that material to a manufacturer or other type of business for further processing. Holding the material for unspecified time periods would undermine the economics of the recycling business.

Third, there are environmental implications in making recycling more difficult to implement. Metal is one of the most recyclable materials produced. The environmental consequences of shifting these materials to landfills will require the use of virgin materials at the expense of the environment, increasing air, water and other forms of pollution.
These are just three of the many reasons "Tag & Hold" ordinances fail to stop metal theft, and instead punish the honest recycler.