LASTWORD
“
We urge all stakeholders
in the fight against metal theft to share best practices, improve communication across industries and work together. We are far stronger working together than we are trying to go it alone.”
Marie Binette
an aggressive campaign to combat metal theft in 2014. Beginning with prevention, Hydro One taught employees how to better secure materials, and it began replacing copper groundings with a copper-clad alternative that has little scrap value. Alongside this material swap, signage was installed to inform thieves that the material they were targeting was not pure copper and had little value. To further protect their property, the company also invested in sophisticated surveillance cameras and security guards. Proper surveillance has increased the identification of thieves, with more than 40 perpetrators being incarcerated for their crimes. Hydro One has been successful on a monetary front too, reducing financial losses through their Theft Recovery Program. The program employs a paralegal dedicated to metal theft cases. Over time, increased efforts to fight these cases in court have allowed their legal staff to educate prosecutors on the full impacts of metal theft. The Ontario Crown is increasingly willing to help the company seek restitution, and through the presentation of victim
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impact statements, the court has learned just how much monetary damage a minor theft can cause. Hydro One’s court efforts thus far have recovered just over a million dollars in damages. These methods are clearly working. Other telecommunication and utility providers, policymakers and law enforcement should take note. These positive, promising results underscore what CARI has long been advocating for – focussing on the thieves and not the recyclers. To truly reduce metal theft, property must be secured and law enforcement must be given effective tools to prosecute offenders. CARI will continue to promote this successful approach to combatting metal theft. We urge all stakeholders in this fight to share best practices, improve communication across industries and work together to take on this common threat. We are far stronger working together than we are trying to go it alone. Marie Binette is communications manager, Canadian Association of Recycling Industries.
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R.M. Johnson...............................29
American Baler....................... 40
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46 Recycling Product News September 2018