During the last plenary meeting of EUROMETREC, held Sept. 27, the growing issue of metal theft was recognized. Recycling members of the association expressed concern about the growing number of metals theft that is currently seriously affecting the non-ferrous metals industry in general and the metal scrap sector in particular.
Similar to the problem plaguing the United States, European recyclers report thefts of guardrails from roadways, metallic structures from buildings, manhole covers, copper or steel wire and even trucks fully loaded with metal scrap.
After warning members to both protect protect their scrap inventories and ensure that members do not inadvertently purchase stolen material from illegal merchants, EUROMETREC notes that while members abide by a code of conduct which could lead to the expulsion of a company that fails to respect the rules.
To protect the sector, EUROMETREC member associations have set up e-mail alerts, which describe the stolen material and which are sent to all their member companies. Also, close cooperation with police services and national law enforcement officials has been established.
The member associations of EUROMETREC have decided to exchange their information about stolen material and scrap on a regular basis.