Province wants input on new scrap metal resale law
Posted Oct 7, 2011 05:50:57 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The province wants feedback on legislation drawn up to discourage people from stealing metal such as copper wire and trying to sell it to recyclers and scrap dealers.
Under the new law, any companies on the receiving end would be required to keep records of their transactions, including ID from the seller, so police would know how to find someone who brought in the stolen copper pipe or power line.
David Giberson at Dartmouth Metals says if everyone’s on the same page, that should be fine.
“The ID is definitely a good thing, that’s the way it should be,” he said. “Nova Scotia seems to be behind the times a little bit on that aspect, that’s the way it’s done in Montreal and Ontario.”
He is a bit concerned about the part of the law that would require a call to police when someone’s trying to sell industrial copper wire.
“That would be difficult because there’s so much copper wire coming in,” he said. “I don’t know what would be considered industrial copper wire and what wouldn’t be.”
Justice Minister Ross Landry says the province clearly needs new rules.
“Some of this theft of metals, especially around oil tanks and so on, it has profound environmental impact,” he said. “So we have to take action.”
The justice minister is asking the scrap metal industry for feedback over the next three weeks.
