In Memoriam: Larry Sax

Larry Sax, a long-time nonferrous scrap trader and Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) officer, died in mid-December at the age of 80 near his home in Ontario.

Sax grew up as part of scrap processing and trading family with operations in the Boston area, rising up through the ranks at J. Sax & Co., Boston.

In a career that spanned several decades, Sax most often worked in the aluminum industry, including for companies such as Barmet Aluminum Corp., Akron, Ohio; and Easco Aluminum, Girard, Ohio.

Throughout his career, Sax was heavily involved in recycling trade organizations, including the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI), one of its predecessor organizations the National Association of Recycling Industries (NARI) and the Brussels-based BIR. Sax also served on the merger committee of NARI and the Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel, (ISIS) which formed ISRI. At BIR, Sax spent several years on the Non-ferrous Division board of directors, including eight years as its president.

From 2008 to early 2012, after retiring as a trader, Sax worked as an editorial consultant for Recycling Today Global Edition magazine. In that role, Sax talked to recyclers and traders around the world to gauge business conditions within the recycling sector.

An interview with Larry Sax published by Recycling Today Global Edition in mid-2012 can be found  at www.recyclingtoday.com/rtge0512-scrap-recycling-business-contributor.aspx.

He is survived by his wife Mariette Rita and son David, who also entered the scrap recycling industry and currently works for Commercial Metals Co., Irving, Texas. Those seeking to make a donation in Larry’s honor can contact the Association for Soldiers of Israel at 416-783-3053 or Canadian Hadassah WIZO at 416-630-8373.