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New law tightens rules on sale of scrap metals
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Posted on Nov 06 2006
Acting Gov. Timothy P. Villagomez yesterday signed into law a bill that requires recycling companies to keep a record of persons selling scrap metal.
House Bill 15-164, now Public Law 15-36, is intended to curb the rising incidence of scrap metal theft on Saipan. The Recycling Reporting Act was sponsored by House Minority Leader Arnold Palacios and seven other lawmakers.
Authors of the legislation note that the practice of recycling scrap metal should be encouraged for environmental purposes. However, it should be regulated to prevent abuse and crime.
“The Legislature finds that there has been a proliferation of crimes involving theft of metal products and materials. Some of these incidents involve taking metal from fully functioning products such as an air conditioner rather than taking the entire air conditioning unit. It appears that the intent is to sell the metal product for cash,” states a portion of the new law.
P.L. 15-36 mandates recycling business owners to keep a record of information regarding the person selling scrap metal and the purchase transaction. Personal information that will be collected from scrap metal sellers includes name, date of birth, sex, height, weight, race and address. Identification will also be required.
