Scrap metal exports banned

posted on: Mar 10 2010 12:43 by Royston. Viewed 441 times.


The General director of Customs (DGA) yesterday banned the export of copper until the 38 companies selling scrap metals abroad are subject to strict regulation. The measure, referred to in Customs Law 02 - 10, seeks to halt the marketing of wire and other items stolen from the national telephone and electricity lines.

More than 500 containers full of scrap in Caucedo port  have been impounded.
"Not one pound of copper is leaving Dominican docks  until we organize the market for buying and selling scrap metal," said Customs director Rafael Camilo, during a press conference attended by representatives of telephone companies telephone and executive vice president of Electric Utilities Corporation (CDEEE), Celso Marranzini.

From now on, Camilo said, no company can fill a container exporting scrap unless supervisors of Customs and Police are present in their collection center. The ban was immediately supported by the Association of Industrial Metalwork.

The president of the Dominican Telephone Company (Codetel), Oscar Pena, said that in 2009 the theft of telephone cables cost the company  around RD$60million and just in the first two months of this year nearly double that figure.

In the case of power lines, Marranzini of CDEEE said they had to invest more than RD$200million to replace cables and metal parts stolen from the high voltage electrical system.

Even cell phone companies such as Viva and Orange also reported losses in the millions.

Pena said the thefts cause financial problems for his business and loss of service for his customers as the cables are stolen quicker than they can be replaced, sometimes several times a week in the same place. He added that he was satisfied with the work that the authorities doing to solve the problem.

The DGA announced that scrap exporting company Caribbean Recycling were to be prosecuted for marketing stolen cables, electric and telephone lines of different communities.

This business was suspended last week, when a team of Customs supervisors found over 2000 kilos of wires and plates at its facilities in the Los Alcarrizos zone. Its directors claim that any impounded wire had been bought in Haiti and in other Caribbean islands.

The export of scrap metal is a practice that has been expanding in recent years. Customs director Rafael Camilo, explained that the companies formed for this purpose have contracts with China, Taiwan, India, USA and other countries. He added that the copper export goes mainly to China, where it is recycled into communication and infrastructure projects.

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