Do you know that it’s now against the law for cash payments to be made between scrap metal recycling customers and dealers? As of the 3rd December last year, there has been a cash ban on scrap metal recycling in a bid to tackle the increasing problem of metal theft in the UK, reports IT, electrical waste and scrap metal recycling providers Collect and Recycle (https://collectandrecycle.com/).
Early December 2012 saw an amendment to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act which stipulated that all cash payments for metal recycling at yards would from then on be illegal. The upper limit of fines for breaking this law was also removed for scrap metal dealers, although itinerant scrap metal traders will be able to accept cash payments until the Scrap Metal Dealers Bill, which is currently going through Parliament, becomes law.
British Transport Police deputy chief constable Paul Crowther said: “Despite recent reductions in offending, metal theft remains a serious threat to the infrastructure of Great Britain and we will only make a real difference if we continue to take positive action in conjunction with strengthened legislation. For several years metal thieves and unscrupulous metal recyclers have exploited outdated legislation to make profit from criminal activity. This stops now. Changes to the LASPO Act have outlawed all cash transaction at metal recycling yards across England and Wales and there has been a significant increase in fines for those dealers who abide by the rules. These measures will seriously curtail the market for stolen metal as there will now be a clear audit trail back to those bringing communities into recycling yards and severe sanctions for those who step out of line. The step forward in legislation is welcome and significant, but will not work in isolation. Industry, police and other agencies must continue to work together to enforce the new legislation, support further modernisation of the law and take action against those criminals who continue to target the very infrastructure we have all come to rely upon.”
At Collect & Recycle, we welcome any measure which helps to legitimise all aspects of the recycling industry and remove any rogue elements, organisations or individuals. Our scrap metal recycling service works entirely within the law, incorporating all amendments to legislation as soon as they come into force. What that means for our customers is access to a nationwide scrap metal recycling which is practical, reliable, affordable and entirely within the confines of the law at all times. Our service includes aluminium recycling, copper recycling, mixed metal recycling and more. To find out full details, go to https://collectandrecycle.com/.
