HONEST SCALES

Worth the Weight

You might not expect to find a local salvage yard in such a bucolic setting as the rolling green acres of Middlefield, but Honest Scales Recycling has to be the most scenic place to junk your car in Ohio. Views aside, a trip to the location on Burton Windsor Road will lighten your load and put green cash in your pocket. Honest Scales is a one-stop destination for all your recycling needs. They’ll pay for all kinds of scrap metal based on weighted market value - from aluminum cans to brass, copper, steel, and more, even old electronics. Honest Scales officially opened next to proprietor Paul Miller’s family home in 2005. Miller had been steadily growing the business on a part-time basis since starting small in a corner of his barn in 1996, as he supported his family with a full-time job at Sheoga Hardwood Flooring & Paneling. Right from the beginning Miller saw an opportunity in salvage, and in 2001, purchased two acres, some essential equipment, and built the foundation that would become the bustling site it is today. Miller’s father doubted it could be done and told him so: “Paul, you will never fill this building.” But with the support of his wife, Sarah Ann, and son Marty, today Honest Scales has 11 employees - among them three of Miller’s nine children - Marty, and daughters, Loma Mae and Katie Ann.

Miller says that the name ‘Honest Scales’ reflects the values that define the Amish way of life: fairness, honesty, and loyalty to religious faith and community. When weight dictates the price you’re paid, Miller knows you need to be able to trust the source. He learned that himself many years ago when he took a 100-lb loss on his very first load of scrap. From that point forward, Miller made sure his weights were accurate. “It doesn’t pay to be dishonest,” Miller says.

Recycling doesn’t just provide an essential service to the community, it is serious business to the state. To comply with government guidelines, Miller must report transactions each day to the Ohio Department of Homeland Security. In 2015, changing state laws required Honest Scales to file transactions on an online database, which was incompatible with Miller’s religious beliefs that ban the use of

“It doesn’t pay to be dishonest.”

- Paul Miller, Owner

technology. Miller needed help. That’s when Geauga Growth Partnership (GGP) and its former president, Tracy Jemison, stepped in to help find a solution. Jemison helped arrange a series of meetings between Miller, local authorities, and former senator John Eklund, to find a compromise to secure data without conflicting with Miller’s religious beliefs. Today, Miller currently sits on GGP’s board, where he is a valuable peer and mentor. “After what Geauga Growth Partnership did for me, I couldn’t say no. It’s not about me - it’s about helping others.”

Honest Scales stayed open through the pandemic, and while April is always a busy month, 2020 was historically so, which Miller attributes to homebound folks taking their spring cleaning more seriously. 2021 was the biggest year on record, and the business was able to pour 692 yards of concrete to pave what was once a gravel driveway and parking lot. This year remains busy, and Miller is planning ahead for further improvements. After 26 years, Miller has seen firsthand that one person’s trash is another’s treasure. Over the years, people have dropped off perfectly functional items that they no longer needed, and Miller saw an opportunity for more recycling. In the past, Honest Scales would hold a biannual public auction of any items that could be reused, but with more than enough inventory and space on the property to open a store to display it, Honest Scales opened the Treasure Shop in April right on site. Walk-ins are welcome to shop its collection of wares for sale, many of them antique. You’ll find a large selection of vintage bicycles, tools, furniture, signage and the vintage license plates that line the walls of the workshop. When asked what the most unusual item someone ever brought in for scrap was, Miller recalled the time a man came in with a one-person airplane built by his grandfather. The plane had not passed FAA inspection and couldn’t fly. Miller briefly considered posing the plane as if it had crash-landed into the property, but in the end, it was re-homed to a private collector for display.

PLAN YOUR VISIT!

Honest Scales Recycling

15535 Burton Windsor Rd. Middlefield OH 44062 Ph: 440-632-3083 Fax: 440-632-0308 www.honestscalesrecycling.com

Hours

Mon-Fri 7am-4:30pm Sat 7am-Noon Sun Closed