New Jersey lawmakers move to tighten oversight of scrap yards after repeated fires

Proposed rules aim to curb dangerous blazes in Camden and beyond

Legislation that would impose stricter regulations on scrap metal recyclers in New Jersey advanced this week in the wake of yet another fire linked to Eastern Metal Recycling, a Camden firm connected to a dozen dangerous scrap fires in the past five years.

Bills approved by the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee would subject metal scrappers to tougher standards already required of solid waste recycling centers and require them to install fire suppression gear and heat sensors. Companies would also have to limit the height of unprocessed stacks of car parts and other hazardous metal waste that piles up in scrap yards.

Scrap yards and shipping barges operated by Eastern Metal Recycling in Camden and Bayonne continue to catch fire at alarming rates.

The fires, fed by auto fluff and other toxic materials, have proven difficult to extinguish and have poured heavy black smoke and ash over inner-city areas that are home to many of New Jersey’s poorest people. Many have complained of asthma and other respiratory ailments.

Last week, an EMR barge caught fire in the Delaware River across from Petty’s Island off the shores of Camden and Pennsauken.

The fire burned for the better part of a day before it was declared under control. A towering plume of smoke drifted over Philadelphia and was visible in Wilmington and across much of the upper estuary. The U.S. Coast Guard and fire marshals in Delaware and New Jersey are investigating the incident.

“This is going to keep happening until the state gets serious and starts regulating scrap yards, like they should be,” said Kate Delaney, a Collingswood resident who heads the South Jersey Progressive Democrats, a grassroots reform group.

On Monday, March 16, several members of Delaney’s group traveled to Trenton to seek amendments to the proposed bills that would require EMR and other scrapers to implement changes more quickly. The legislation, spearheaded by Assemblyman William Moen, a Democrat who represents Camden and Gloucester County communities, initially gave large recyclers five years to reduce mountains of scrap and install new fire protective systems.

“Last year, an industrial fire at a scrap metal facility in Camden City led to the evacuation of approximately 100 residents, including senior citizens, and resulted in toxic smoke filling the air for days,” Moen said in an interview earlier this year.

Amendments now written into the legislation would reduce that timeline to one to two years.

“They need a very shortened timeline because they’re not going to do the right thing on their own,” said Delaney. “The bottom line is that we need this kind of legislation from Trenton because local leaders in Camden County are never going to get serious about this firm.”

In January, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office filed suit against EMR for failing to take meaningful action despite receiving a string of violations from the state.

“It is outrageous that EMR has failed to correct the dangerous conditions at its facilities in Camden. We’re taking action today to hold EMR accountable for its reprehensible conduct and to protect Camden residents,” said Attorney General Matthew Platkin. “Companies should never be allowed to turn a quick buck at the expense of their communities.”

The public nuisance suit asks the Superior Court to order a litany of corrective measures to protect residents and prevent further fires. Most of the measures require EMR to better track and contain mounds of hazardous car shreddings that have fueled the fires.

Officials with EMR said they were working closely with the state and local officials to install fire suppression equipment and make other changes. They also point out that modern lithium-ion batteries that often come in with scrap are fire-prone and need to be regulated better by the federal government.

EMR has been owned and operated for decades by the Balzano family. The family has been active in Camden civic affairs for three generations and enjoys a close association with city political figures. Reform groups that have long opposed Camden’s Democratic Party machine point out that the family maintains close ties with party leader George Norcross.

“We look forward to working with the state of New Jersey to address the scourge of lithium-ion battery fires plaguing recycling facilities throughout the country,” EMR Joseph Balzano said in a statement after the lawsuit was filed. “The safety of our employees and the Camden community residents is our number one priority.”

Environmental activists said the new legislation is long overdue and will give the state real teeth to go after rogue recyclers. The bills, if enacted, will also address injustices visited on poor urban communities, which often bear the brunt of pollution.

“For many years, environmental justice communities, black and brown communities, have lived in the shadow of a flume of toxins from scrap metal recycling facilities that have been saturating their communities. They have been living in fear of threats from catastrophic fires and explosions. said Renée Pollard, chair of the Environmental & Social Justice Committee for the NJ Sierra Club. “This legislation will provide better protections, better guidance, and overall better health outcomes for environmental justice communities in New Jersey.”

In August, EMR and the city of Camden reached a $6.7 million “memorandum of understanding” agreement that both parties said was designed to protect residents. The agreement called for the scrap recycler to install an aerial fire suppression system and vacate its property at South 6th Street. The deal also mandated that EMR set up a $1 million fund for the waterfront neighborhood.

Residents remained skeptical, however, noting that the deal was short on specifics. The city would never enforce it, they said.

“We’ve been burned before,” said Benjamin Saracco, a Rowan University professor who lives in Camden and has led efforts to make the city’s scrap yards safer.