Jamaica bans scrap metal industry

0
90

The government of Jamaica has completely shut down the island’s scrap metal industry to stop thieves that have stolen material from infrastructure.

Jamaica commerce minister said that the decision for an indefinite ban was in the “national interest” because scrap dealers in the country have failed to curb theft of materials such as copper, aluminium and bronze.

Advertisement

Previously, the country placed a temporary ban on the export of scrap metal, but theft continued to be a problem. A recent public outcry occurred when vandals dug up graves in Kingston to extract any metal from coffins.

The Scrap Metal Federation of Jamaica lobbied the government to no avail to keep the trade open, saying that 2,000 jobs would be lost if the ban were enforced.