Ones’ junk, is another’s treasure. Due to the rising precious & scrap metal prices, Recycling Facilities have become a frequently targeted location for material theft, and other criminal behaviour.
Recycling Facility Security Threats
Over the last 10 years in Canada, precious and scrap metals have increased by a substantial amount. For example, copper has seen a price increase of 209%(1). Aluminum is another metal that is commonly found on recycling facilities, and since 2015, has seen a price surge from $1889.30 CAD/Ton to the current $3418.38 CAD/Ton(2).
Due to these price increases, thieves have been targeting locations such as recycling facilities in hope to find these valuable metals. Experienced thieves are known to use platforms like Google Earth to search for large, easily accessible piles of precious metals(3).
An attempted metal theft was reported at a wet and dry waste processing centre in Guelph, Ontario. Twice within weeks of each other, material thieves gained access to the site, and attempted to remove valuable materials from the recycling bins(4). Additionally, car components such as catalytic converters have become a commonly stolen item due to the rise in precious metal prices.
Other threats to recycling facilities include:
Trespassing & Injury
Equipment & tool theft
Fire
How do you protect your recycling facilities from these security threats?
Our Recycling Facility Security Solution
Our solution to recycling facility material theft is to deploy our state-of-the-art security devices, working in unison with our advanced video monitoring services. As a first line of defense, we place anti-trespassing and video surveillance warning signage around the perimeter of your recycling facility.
If the criminal is not deterred by our signage, our expert video monitoring operators in our UL Certified video monitoring center will obtain visual confirmation of the suspect trespassing, using high resolution stationary and pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras. Once identified, our operators will deter the suspect by utilizing a variety of highly effective security peripherals. Voice commands are issued as a vocal deterrence, letting the suspect know that they are trespassing and being monitored & video recorded.
For a visual deterrence, our operators utilize our high-visibility blue LED deterrence strobe light to draw attention to their specific location. If the suspect refuses to leave the site, our operators will immediately contact the local law enforcement providing them with critical information such as suspect description, location, and behaviour.
While the police respond to arrive on site, our operators continue to monitor the suspect and gather any & all details that will assist in their apprehension and subsequent court proceedings. Once the security threat is contained, an in-depth report is drafted & logged into our proprietary security information reporting platform, syncroReports.
This information hub is a world’s first, and the only centralized information database provided to clients within the remote video surveillance & security industry. This platform is your teams access point to your site security reports, robust analytics, and live video feeds that are streamed directly from our industry leading security units.
For an extra layer of security, we deploy our innovative wireless intrusion alarm device, syncroDetect. This device comes equipped with both door & window contact sensors and wireless motion detection sensors, which are strategically placed on areas of importance such as storage lockers, heavy machinery, and building access points.
Due to the recent rise in precious & scrap metal prices, recycling facilities have become a prime target for metal thefts. Our industry leading security devices, in tandem with our remote video monitoring services, are the most effective security solution for securing these sites, and protecting the valuable assets within.
References:
- 1. “Copper Theft”- Canadian Electricity Association, N/A, January 2015
- 2. “Aluminum Price Summary” Trading Economics, N/A, N/A
- 3,6. “Protect your business from scrap metal theft” Nationwide, N/A, N/A
- 4. “Guelph police seeking man spotted trying to steal recyclables” CTV News, Allan April, May 11th 2021
- 5. “RCMP investigating theft of catalytic converters from N.S scrap yard” CTV News, Allan April, May 11th 2021