China: What You May Not Know About It Will Surprise You

Beijing on a clear day.

We have all seen the pictures of the urban smog in many cities in China. In fact, the country is home to 20 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities. Key among the factors involved is that coal produces 70% of China’s energy. The country burns nearly half of the world’s supply.

And it’s not just the air that is of concern. It has been estimated that 90% of China’s urban groundwater is contaminated. Over one third of the fish species native to the Yellow River are now extinct and millions of people in rural areas rely on unsafe water supplies.

Is The Tide Finally Turning For The North American Manufacturing Industry?

An article on television recently featured an interview with the owner of a company that manufactured brass fittings in the Northeastern United States. He had seen his business erode over the past number of years at an alarming rate as he was, in his own words, out-gunned by products manufactured in low cost centres in Asia.

But rather than give up in frustration or give in and have his production moved offshore, like many other North American manufacturers have done, he decided to tighten his belt and stick to his guns. His decision was prompted to some extent by stories that he was hearing of failed products made offshore and he believed that, in the long run, the quality of the “Made in America” products that his company produced would prevail.

Occupational Health & Safety…At Peel, It’s Job #1.

As we continue our review of occupational health and safety practices, we wanted to take this opportunity to pass on some information and tips which we feel might be helpful to our customers, many of whom work on their scrap metal in order to add value to their material.

We have weighed-in on regulations in a previous blog citing the costs and other issues involved for businesses charged with the responsibility of compliance. In the case of regulations surrounding occupational health and safety, they are particularly complex and they span various jurisdictions.

Getting The Most From Your Scrap Takes A Little Work But It Can Be Worth It.

Welcome to 2013! We hope you enjoyed the Holiday Season.

Perhaps as one of your new year’s resolutions, you have decided to clean-up and recycle some of the odds and ends around the house or business. You can put your junk in your trunk and just head off to one of our locations in either Mississauga or Oakville. Or, you can consider what could be done to add value to your scrap metal and ensure that the trip is as worthwhile as possible.  

Our conveniently located Mississauga and Oakville locations make dropping off your scrap metal quick and easy. See our home page for addresses.

Steel…The True Superman of Metals

You might be surprised to learn that steel is the most widely used and most recycled metal on the planet. To give you some idea of the scope, more steel is recycled in the U.S. each year than paper, plastic, aluminum and glass combined.

Within our economy, the steel industry clearly plays a significant role.  Statistics for 2010 indicate that, in Canada, we produced 13 million tons of steel and sold more than 12 billion dollars of product of which more than 6 billion dollars worth was exported. The industry also directly employs 25,000 people and has made capital investments of 2 billion dollars since 2005.

Electronics…The Newest Frontier For Recycling

As we have intensified our efforts to collect end-of-life electronics, we have marveled at the vast array of equipment that has been packed away in basements, warehouses and storage facilities all over the GTA. Word processors, typewriters, black and white televisions, stereo and high fidelity equipment, computers, beepers, telecommunications equipment, printers and other peripherals, clunky portable phones that weren’t very smart and the list goes on.

The amazing thing about all this ‘stuff’ is that when they were introduced to the world they were all applauded and widely accepted as true cutting edge technologies.

End-of-life electronics sorting and dismantling at our Oakville warehouse.

Pop Up Retail Stores..Good. Pop Up Scrap Yards…Not So Much.

Nike Pop Up Store in Tokyo

One of the newer innovations that we have seen in retailing over the past few years is the development of “Pop-up Stores”. You will recognize these, as they seem to just appear in a particular space for a relatively short period of time and then disappear. As we approach the Halloween and then the Christmas Season, we will see more of them.

The trend has been adopted by a number of well-known companies including Nike, Walmart and Target to name just a few. These pop up stores offer a low cost way to heighten brand awareness, promote particular product lines and, of course, to entice consumers to spend.

A Barbecue Maven’s Search For Quality Stainless Steel

It’s a well known fact that Canadians love their barbecues and I am no exception. However, it seems that no matter how hard I try to protect and maintain my barbecue, every four to five years I have to replace it. And regardless of the brands I have chosen or how much I pay, the flavour bars and burners in particular inevitably rust and crumble into flakes over time.

Use A Magnet To Attract The Best Product

Metal Theft…The Saga Continues.

 Although we have already posted a couple of blogs concerning the problem of metal theft, a recent development in British Columbia has prompted us to revisit this issue.

Last November, the Province of British Columbia passed Canada’s first metal theft law. The new regulations were just signed-off by the lieutenant governor and will come into force on July 23^rd,   2012. They will affect both metal dealers and recyclers, and also their customers.

Some of the key points of this legislation are as follows:

• Dealers must report their metal purchases daily to police

The Good Old Penny..RIP Come This Fall

As anticipated in a post we did about a year ago, the federal government announced the demise of the penny in its March 2012 budget. In about six months from now, the Royal Canadian Mint will stop distributing the coin and they will be removed from circulation over time. There is no end date to the process so we can continue to use them and they will retain their value as long as they are around.

We are not alone in this exercise. There are quite a number of countries who have already stopped using their low value coins.