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.

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

Radioactivity In Metal – Unfortunately It’s One of Today’s Hottest Topics

Over the last few weeks, the world has witnessed the horrific events unfolding in Japan.

First an earthquake of enormous proportions. Then a tsunami which leveled everything in its path. There has been untold tragedy, the displacement of thousands of people and now the problem of radioactivity contaminating the environment, including the food chain.

Even for the third largest industrial economy in the world, it will be a massive undertaking to work through this disaster.

Radiation levels in scrap metal stolen from Chernobyl found to be hundreds of times higher than permissible limits.

Scrap Metal Theft…The Unintended Consequences of Good Fortune.

Ted Williams. Recycling and success stories all rolled into one.

The recent rags to riches story of announcer and recently homeless man, Ted Williams (http://tinyurl.com/27lovwa) is a reminder of a clipping we have fondly kept from the Globe and Mail of an enterprising gentleman on the corner of Bloor and Bathurst Streets in Toronto. Under the heading, “Recycling pays off,” he holds a cup in one hand and a sign in the other which reads “Toronto’s Only Homeless Metal Recycling Depot…All Copper, Nickel or Brass Accepted.”

Recycling Is On A Real Upsurge