Scrap Industry News

Deposing Saddam Hussein was the challenge facing coalition forces, but forging stability in Iraq, Afghanistan and neighboring central Asia may prove even more daunting, says Dr. Nozar Alaolmolki. The central Asian scholar addressed attendees of the Sixth Annual Great Lakes Non-Ferrous Metals Conference, hosted in Cleveland by Ronald McGrainor of futures merchant Refco LLC.

The region—consisting of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and neighboring provinces in China, India, Iran and Afghanistan—is rich in both oil and minerals.

While the Islamic fundamentalism that first swept Iran and has moved onto other regions has gained the attention of American diplomats and business executives, economic discontent also threatens the former Soviet republics, says Alaolmolki.

The central Asian countries were absorbed by Russia in the 19th century and remained under Soviet domination throughout most of the 20th century. Their "Russification" was fairly thorough, with socialism largely replacing nomadism.

American and western European oil and minerals companies have a direct interest in what happens in the region, but so do Americans overall, Alaolmolki contends.

He noted that the government in China has forestalled political reform while delving into economic reform. In the short term, this has provided stability.

Most of the Soviet republics have done the opposite, addressing economic reforms more slowly. The situations could lead to unrest, adding further jitters to the energy and commodities markets in a world where turmoil has already had a negative effect on the economy.

GIE Media Inc., parent company of Recycling Today Media Group, has taken legal action to ensure the integrity of message boards associated with its Web sites.

The action was in response to activities on the www.pctonline.com message boards affiliated with Pest Control Technology (PCT) magazine, a GIE publication.

A visitor to the pctonline.com message boards who had been repeatedly violating the "terms of use" policy by posting defamatory, abusive, harassing and racially-charged messages also used false e-mail addresses to regain forum access.

After ignoring several written warnings, the individual was named as a defendant in a U.S. District Court case, on the grounds that his involvement was cutting visitor traffic to and potential revenues derived from the Web site.

The defendant settled the case, agreeing to permanently refrain from accessing the message boards or harassing employees of GIE Media Inc.

"Although taking legal action may seem extreme, GIE Media is steadfast in its belief that all of our message board users, as well as our employees, be protected from Internet harassment and personal attacks," says J. Richard Foster, GIE president.

Recycling Today Media Group publishes Recycling Today and C&D Recycler magazines, the Paper Recycling Markets Directory and the North American Scrap Metals Directory and operates www.RecyclingToday.com and www.cdrecycler.com. GIE’s conference division operates the Paper Recycling Conference & Trade Show, taking place June 22-24, 2003 in Chicago and—beginning in 2004—the C&D World Expo held in coordination with the Construction Materials Recycling Association.

2003 marks the 75th anniversary year for Mallin Bros. Co. Inc., Kansas City, Mo., a nonferrous scrap recycler with several wire chopping lines.

The company’s origins trace back to 1928 to a horse-drawn wagon led through the streets of Kansas City and surrounding areas by the late Harry G. Mallin.

Today, the company is led by Harry’s son Larry G. Mallin, CEO, and grandson Jeffrey Mallin, president. Jeffrey credits his father Larry with helping steer the firm to becoming a leading regional processor of scrap wire and cable. "My father was so forward thinking in his approach to processing wire," says Jeffrey. "He created a special niche for our company in the recycling industry that has been very successful over the years."

The company’s customer base includes utilities, wire manufacturers, electrical contractors and other generators of scrap copper wire and aluminum cable. The Mallins say their central location in Kansas City provides a logistical advantage, while their working relationship provides a management edge.

"I am lucky to have a business partner that not only shares his wealth of 50-plus years of business experience with me, but also really enjoys our time together, and I feel the same way," says Jeffrey Mallin.

The Mallins say they have built their business upon honesty, credibility, environmental responsibility and other qualities that strengthen customer relationships and trust.