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Scrap metal trade banned again

Apr 06, 2011 News

Government yesterday dropped the hammer on the scrap metal trade amidst a recent surge of vandalism.
Announcing the suspension of the multi-million-dollar business, the Office of the Prime Minister linked the decision to vandalism, and made mention of a recent incident in which canecutters were nabbed in a sting operation after attempting to remove metal belonging to punts of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).
Currently, the export of non-ferrous scrap metal, which includes brass, copper and aluminium, is banned.
With over 10 legal scrap metal dealers, the industry is said to directly employ almost 1,000 persons and rakes in millions from shipments, especially to China, whose industry growth in recent years has been fuelling the trade.
Locally, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T), has been in the forefront with GuySuCo, complaining of significant losses from vandalism. In the case of GT&T, there have been reports of entire communities being left without telephone services because vandals damaged lines.
Since 2007, government has been suspending and then lifting the ban after appeals were made by the dealers and others whose livelihoods had been disrupted.
Last year, the ban on ferrous metals was lifted after a multi-sector team comprising inspectors from the Trade Ministry and representatives from the metal dealers’ association, was established.
However, it is unclear how well this system worked.
Last week, GuySuCo expressed concern over what it described as constant acts of vandalism by “some” involved in the scrap metal trade
Two persons were arrested following a sting operation conducted by the security department of the Corporation, the police, and a scrap metal dealer.
The two men, said to be cane harvesters attached to the LBI/Diamond cultivation, used a welding torch to destroy cane transport punts belonging to the Corporation and had the metal secreted in the Diamond section of the cultivation.
They were attempting to arrange a sale of the destroyed punts – totaling approximately eight tonnes – to the scrap metal dealer, when they were detained.
According to GuySuCo, the industry has been plagued by similar acts of vandalism at all its locations.
“The security unit is constantly dealing with persons who illegally enter its locations to acquire scrap metal, which they in turn sell to dealers involved in the scrap metal trade.”

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