These men came well prepared to rummage through the piles of metal at the dump in Redman's Village.

by CAROL-ANN TUDOR

MORE THAN US$12 million is what one scrap metal dealer says he has returned to Barbados in revenue in the last 14 years.

Peter Chesham, managing director of Recycling Preparations Inc. (RPI), at Unit 7, Warrens Warehouse Complex, is one of the few legally registered dealers in Barbados.

Chesham was issued with approval to operate as a collector and exporter of non-ferrous metals by the Barbados Environmental Engineering Division since May 9, 1994.

But over the last two years as the demand for metal has spiralled, Chesham has watched numerous people appear before the courts for stealing, and many businesses losing thousands of dollars in equipment or electrical cables, creating major headaches for those in the dealership.

Just last week, Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police Morgan Greaves issued a caution to operators
of the old metal business that they could be running afoul of the law, if they were not certified by the Royal Barbados Police Force.

A meeting subsequently held March 1 at the District "A" Police Band headquarters with the stakeholders, sought to give those who have been operating illegally, the chance to be registered and avoid prosecution.

Chesham whose business grades, bales and sorts metal to ship to the United States once a week, said he was surprised to see the number of people who turned up for the meeting over the weekend.

But the businessman, who has written to the Solid Waste Project Department and the Ministry of Environment about the impact that it is having on the business, says the problem of stealing has also been occurring in other countries, forcing governments in Guyana and Jamaica to halt their exportation of metal.

In fact, Chesham says he believes a number of those same people have decided to come to Barbados and operate.

"I can't say it's a fact, but all of a sudden a lot of people have turned up in this business and I was amazed when I saw the number of people who attended the meeting on Saturday morning", he stated.

Chesham who said copper and aluminium prices were at the highest ever, with the latter being around 75 cents and copper ranging between $2 and $3, was delighted that the police had taken the initiative to find out who was indeed legal and who was not.

"This will beyond no shadow of a doubt resolve some of the stealing problems. It will have a great impact on this business," he reasoned.

Chesham also said he felt authorities should look to see if the revenue made was returning to Barbados, before issuing the licence.

He said RPI had been having numerous phone calls from people losing materials, being the longest serving metal dealer in the island.

"We have had visits from the police, not in the first ten years we didn't, but all of a sudden there are things happening," he said.

In two instances his company reported "certain persons to the police and retrieved certain items".

However, most of the time the metal was already burnt by the collector and was of no further use to the owner.