During my twenty-plus years at Baykeeper, I’ve been on countless patrols along the West Oakland shoreline. One facility in particular has always stuck out: Schnitzer Steel. You may have seen it, too. It’s basically an industrial graveyard, with piles of skeleton cars and dismembered appliances, waiting to be smashed (pictured, above). And that’s an especially eerie sight for those of us who care about the Bay and the health of local residents.
Now known as Radius Recycling, this facility breaks down cars and large appliances to send the metals overseas to be recycled. And it’s just one facility that belongs to an industry that’s got a secret lurking in the shadows.
Cars and appliances contain all sorts of hazardous materials. From chemicals and wiring to insulation material and heavy metals like lead and cadmium, metal shredding for recycling can be a toxic process — one that can turn from green to ghastly if not properly controlled.
In the absence of pollution safeguards, the smallest particles drift through the air or sink into the surrounding soil and water. In other words, the scariest problems at these sites are often what we can’t see, the invisible poisons haunting nearby neighborhoods and waters. This is what gives me pause whenever we pass facilities like this on patrol: not the mangled cars or the twisted debris, but the knowledge that there are hidden contaminants flowing off of them.
These sites can become even more frightening when the toxic materials spontaneously combust, catching fire and spewing poisonous compounds into the community and environment, creating a real-life horror show for local residents (pictured, left).
That’s why we and our partners in the West Oakland community and across the state have fought to get the metal shredding industry to clean up its act.
In response, the industry has tried to shield themselves from stricter regulations with legislation. This past year saw one such effort: Senate Bill 404, which would have exempted metal shredding facilities throughout the state from complying with existing hazardous waste laws.
So we pushed back.
We educated regulators, decision makers, and the public about how the state needs to do more to stop metal shredder pollution, not less. And due in large part to our coalition’s advocacy pressure, we won! Governor Newsom officially vetoed the loophole legislation earlier this month.
Now, the Department of Toxic Substances Control should do its job to regulate these sites and make sure they’re not spewing dangerous toxins into our communities and environment.
Recycling dead appliances and cars is an important service, but no facility should operate in a way that haunts our Bay. That’s why we keep an eye out and fight back, so our shoreline can be more than just a toxic graveyard.
Photo at top by Andrew Ho for Baykeeper. Drone image of fire by Baykeeper.