Craig Ewing evacuates freon gas from an old refrigerator at Scrap Processors, Inc's Webster City yard. The company has a permit issued by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for the de-manufacturing of discarded major appliances. Many local readers will know the appliance at right is a Frigidaire 27-inch laundry center, built in Webster City.

On May 23, 1992, Brian Ripley, center, works with unidentified employees at Frigidaire Company’s Webster City laundry plant, to introduce new dryer consoles into production.
Ripley, an engineer, led the team that developed the new console, which used about 50% fewer parts than its predecessor, employed snap-on end caps (eliminating screws and clips versus the old design), and self-aligning tabs. Such improvements make appliances easier to de-manufacture at the end of their service life.

The Bible, Joel 3:10

As evidenced by the well-known verse above, the reuse of metal was understood by ancient peoples. Biblical scholars of the 19th century place the writing of the Book of Joel eight or nine centuries before Christ, making it one of the earliest of the Hebrew prophecies.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, in 1941, scrap metal collection and reuse reached a fever pitch as the United States began producing unprecedented numbers of ships, tanks, guns, ammunition, planes and motor vehicles, all made of steel, aluminum or various other metals or alloys. Citizens took metal objects such as old pots and pans, or discarded farm implements, to government collection centers. Even historic cannon and cannonballs displayed in public parks were hauled away, and melted down for reuse.

We can only speculate about what it was about Webster City that caught the eye of Texas-born Myer “Mike” Silverstein when he drove into town in 1948. Was a scrapyard for sale? Was it the influence of his wife, the former Rose Lebin, of Marshalltown? What he couldn’t miss, though, was a typical Iowa market town booming after the lifting of restrictions on consumer products during World War II.

The Daily Freeman Journal of June 2, 1982 — the Quasquicentennial edition — quoted a significant fact in an article titled “Huge expansion in Webster City industry from 1947 to 1955,” noting that “in 1956, Webster City had the highest number of industrial employees for any town in Iowa with a population of 10,000 or less.” In those heady days, there were two large manufacturers in town — Morton and Beam Industries — and many smaller firms, all busy with postwar orders. The paper went on to say, “Industrial growth, along with a prosperous agricultural economy, created the demand for hundreds of new homes and new and expanded retail stores here during the 1950s.”

To Mike Silverstein, it looked like Webster City was a good place to be in the scrap metal business.

Silverstein established Webster City Iron & Metal to collect, and sell, scrap steel and other metals. Soon, he was buying automobiles for scrap, then made almost completely of steel. As the firm grew, Silverstein set up separate businesses, selling new and used auto parts, oxygen tanks, and welding supplies and equipment, including acetylene.

Were he to drive into town today, Silverstein would easily recognize his scrapyard at 505 Seneca St. Metal collection and recycling remains its central business, according to Yard Manager Nick West. Industrial customers within a 50-mile radius bring scrap to the yard every day, usually in their own trucks. But for very large loads, typically full containers of scrap metal, Silverstein provides pick-up service with the firm’s own trucks.

Today, Scrap Processors owns 160 containers, which it keeps busy serving industrial customers in Ames, Story City, Iowa Falls, Hubbard, Fort Dodge, Humboldt and Clarion. When the containers are full, Scrap Processor’s sales staff, based in Des Moines, market the scrap, and it’s shipped directly to a buyer, who could be anywhere.

“They find the best price in the market; that’s their job, and they’re good at it,” said West.

More steel is recycled in the U.S. and Canada than aluminum, paper, plastic and glass combined. In fact, an estimated 70% of all scrap steel — some 80 million tons — is recycled in America each year.

Steel is also the most commonly-handled material at SPI’s Webster City yard, but not the only one. It also buys non-ferrous metals; copper, brass, and aluminum, as long as it’s clean. Anyone with at least 10 pounds of these metals can take it to the yard, get a quotation, based on current market prices, and be paid on the spot.

For residents wishing to clean up their yard, farm or garage, small amounts of scrap metal can be brought to the yard and placed in a collection bin next to the office. No payment is made for such material, but SPI ensures it will be properly recycled and save consumers a trip to the landfill. Some of the more common items brought in are old barbecue grills, swing sets, bicycles, trampolines and lawnmowers.

Aerosol cans, explosives or antifreeze are not accepted. Nothing is wasted; any gas or oil remaining in lawnmowers, for instance, is drained and used as fuel to heat the company’s office and shop.

If you have out-of-service major appliances, wish to get rid of them, and have the means to haul them yourself, you may take them to SPI. Again, no money is paid for these goods, but you avoid the cost of hauling them longer distances or paying a fee to an appliance dealer to do it for you. What happens to these products? They’re taken into a purpose-built shed in the yard and dis-assembled by trained technicians. The process has a technical name: de-manufacturing.

Section 567-118.1 (455B, 455D) of the Iowa Code specifies that “all discarded appliances must be de-manufactured before being disposed of, or recycled.”

Specifically, the law requires removal and proper handling of electrical parts (such as wiring and controls), refrigerants from refrigerators and freezers, mercury (found in certain switches in some sump pumps, water heaters, and ovens), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) found in transformers, voltage regulators, capacitors, fluorescent light ballast, switches, re-closure devices, electro-magnets, and bushings.

SPI has trained technicians who perform this work.

West added, “They go to school and get a certificate showing they’ve mastered these skills and can do the work safely and properly before they’re allowed to do this work.”

Televisions and computer components made of plastic or glass (monitors, keyboards) cannot be accepted, but computer towers with metal housings can. There are separate laws regulating removal and recycling of electronic control boards in computers.

SPI buys old cars for their scrap (not Blue Book) value if they can be driven or towed to the yard. You must have a title proving ownership of the vehicle, or if you’re taking a car in for a neighbor, friend or relative, a junk certificate in the seller’s name. These are issued by county courthouses in Iowa. Typically, such cars are worth $200 or so and ensure you won’t have a yard ornament the neighbors don’t approve of.

In the 75 years since its founding in 1948, Scrap Processors has grown and expanded. It now has two locations in Des Moines. Still a family business, David Silverstein, Mike Silverstein’s grandson, is in charge today. The company’s main lines of business remain collecting, buying and selling scrap metal, and de-manufacturing of major appliances. Then, as now, it still finds Webster City a good place to be in business.