#scrap-metal-smuggling

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Environment
fromLos Angeles Times
1 day ago

$500,000 in stolen catalytic converters seized in L.A. County theft ring bust

Baldwin Park police dismantled a catalytic converter theft ring, arresting four suspects and seizing 1,800 converters valued at $500,000.
France news
fromAxios
1 day ago

Priceless items are easy to steal. They're increasingly harder to sell.

Thieves stole three valuable paintings from a small Italian museum in a quick smash-and-grab operation.
#wildlife-trafficking
fromFortune
1 month ago
Environment

One way AI won't ruin the world: tools to crack down on the $23 billion animal trafficking trade | Fortune

fromSFGATE
2 months ago
Environment

Calif. investigation uncovers underground market for endangered wildlife parts

fromFortune
1 month ago
Environment

One way AI won't ruin the world: tools to crack down on the $23 billion animal trafficking trade | Fortune

fromSFGATE
2 months ago
Environment

Calif. investigation uncovers underground market for endangered wildlife parts

#illegal-waste-dumping
fromwww.theguardian.com
4 days ago
UK news

Say hello to the UK's most successful growth industry: organised waste crime | George Monbiot

Illegal waste dumping in the UK has surged, with thousands of sites and minimal penalties for offenders, creating a thriving criminal industry.
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago
Environment

New drone unit to investigate illegal waste dumping across England

A new 33-strong drone unit, lidar mapping, and expanded enforcement will target organised illegal waste dumping, backed by prosecutions and hefty financial penalties.
UK news
fromwww.theguardian.com
4 days ago

Say hello to the UK's most successful growth industry: organised waste crime | George Monbiot

Illegal waste dumping in the UK has surged, with thousands of sites and minimal penalties for offenders, creating a thriving criminal industry.
Information security
fromFortune
6 days ago

Cargo theft costs U.S. trucking $18 million a day and is 'unlike anything our industry has faced before,' logistics exec warns | Fortune

Cargo theft has become a significant threat to the U.S. supply chain, costing the industry billions annually.
#waste-management
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 week ago
Environment

Environment Agency too weak to tackle illegal waste dumping, MPs say

The Environment Agency lacks the necessary powers and intelligence to effectively combat the rising issue of illegal waste dumping in the UK.
from24/7 Wall St.
2 months ago
Environment

Top 5 Waste Management & Landfill Stocks: Trash = Cash

Waste management firms form an oligopoly with durable pricing power and consistent cash generation, creating predictable long-term investment opportunities for select landfill owners.
UK politics
fromwww.bbc.com
2 weeks ago

Taxpayers to fund clear-up of huge illegal waste dumps

Three major illegal rubbish dumps in England will be cleaned up at taxpayer expense as part of a national waste crime action plan.
Environment
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 week ago

Environment Agency too weak to tackle illegal waste dumping, MPs say

The Environment Agency lacks the necessary powers and intelligence to effectively combat the rising issue of illegal waste dumping in the UK.
US news
fromTheregister
1 week ago

Three more charged with trying to smuggle GPUs to China

Three individuals were charged with attempting to smuggle Nvidia GPUs to China, violating export controls and smuggling laws.
fromwww.theguardian.com
5 days ago

35,000 pints of stolen Guinness, 950 wheels of pilfered cheese: can the UK's cargo theft crisis be stopped?

Dawber noticed 17 pallets of golfing equipment, stolen three weeks prior, worth about 1 million. He also found 18 pallets of Asics trainers stolen three years earlier.
UK news
Madrid food
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 week ago

Arizona's guns are feeding the bloodshed in Mexico's cartel war

The ongoing war within the Sinaloa cartel is fueled by a surge of firearms from Arizona, leading to significant violence and casualties.
fromwww.aljazeera.com
1 week ago

Truly junk': E-waste from rich nations floods local markets in Nigeria

Nigeria has become a major destination for the developed world's discarded electronics, items often near the end of life, sometimes completely dead, and frequently toxic because they contain hazardous materials.
Environment
#illegal-gold-mining
European startups
fromTechCrunch
2 weeks ago

Inside a $1.1B deal to reshore critical minerals refining | TechCrunch

China controls over half the world's nickel refining capacity, prompting U.S. and European companies to develop domestic electrochemical refining technologies to reduce supply chain dependence.
#tariff-refunds
fromTruthout
2 weeks ago
US Elections

After Being Ruled Illegal, Many Ask: Where Are the Refunds From Trump's Tariffs?

US Elections
fromTruthout
2 weeks ago

After Being Ruled Illegal, Many Ask: Where Are the Refunds From Trump's Tariffs?

Small business owners face uncertainty about recovering tens of thousands in tariffs after the Supreme Court struck down Trump's emergency tariffs as illegal, with the government's refund process still underway.
US Elections
fromwww.npr.org
4 weeks ago

No lawsuits required: U.S. Customs is working on a system to refund tariffs

U.S. Customs is developing a streamlined refund system for unconstitutional tariffs, expecting completion within 45 days, avoiding individual lawsuits for the $166 billion owed to over 330,000 businesses.
European startups
fromTechRepublic
3 weeks ago

US CBP Says Its Systems Aren't Ready for Massive Tariff Refunds - TechRepublic

US Customs and Border Protection lacks digital infrastructure to process 53 million tariff refund claims worth $166 billion, requiring 4.4 million labor hours with existing systems.
Agriculture
fromEarth911
2 weeks ago

Convenience Comes at the Environment's Expense

Fast delivery convenience carries significant environmental costs through packaging waste, carbon emissions, and resource consumption, but individual yard management choices can meaningfully reduce environmental impact at a local scale.
fromLos Angeles Times
2 weeks ago

Industry groups sue California over Truth in Recycling law

SB 343 forces dairy product manufacturers to remove vital recycling guidance from the very cartons Californians rely on every day. This law ignores the reality of our recycling infrastructure and unconstitutionally restricts our right to provide transparent recycling instructions to consumers. We are seeking to stop this policy before it leads to more waste and disrupts our ability to deliver milk to California families and schools.
Intellectual property law
fromEarth911
2 weeks ago

Is Shredded Paper Recyclable?

Shredded paper is especially difficult to recycle, so many programs will not accept it. Shredding accelerates fiber shortening and lowers the paper grade from high-grade to mixed-grade. Mixed-grade paper is still recyclable, but it ends up baled and processed into products like paper towels and packing paper.
Portland
East Bay (California)
fromThe Oaklandside
2 weeks ago

Illegal dumping fines could go up a lot in Oakland

Oakland is increasing fines for illegal dumping, with first-time violators now facing $1,500 instead of $750, and eliminating the three-year fine reset mechanism.
London politics
fromMail Online
3 weeks ago

Environment officers given police-style powers to fight waste crime

The government is implementing a zero-tolerance approach to waste crime, granting environment officers police-like powers including warrant-less searches, asset seizure, and arrest authority to combat illegal dumping gangs.
fromwww.independent.co.uk
1 week ago

Tonne of cocaine shipped from Panama valued at 80m seized by UK Border Force

This was a fantastic seizure by our colleagues at Border Force, and taking this amount of cocaine out of circulation will have deprived the organised criminals involved of millions in profits.
UK news
fromBusiness Insider
2 weeks ago

Paid IEEPA tariffs on overseas purchases? Here is what shipping companies are saying about refunds

After Trump ended the de minimis exemption last year, purchasing an item straight from an international vendor, regardless of the item's value, meant incurring International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariffs. Now, thanks to a ruling by the Supreme Court that overturned Trump's IEEPA tariffs, and a ruling by the Court of International Trade ruled that all tariffs paid under IEEPA must be returned, buyers may be able to collect a refund.
European startups
Alternative transportation
fromFast Company
3 weeks ago

Electric freight's next chapter will be won on discipline, not ambition

Electric trucks have proven capable of long-haul freight operations, shifting focus from feasibility to infrastructure, economics, and sustainable business models.
Environment
fromEarth911
1 week ago

Guest Idea: What Really Happens After You Drop Off Recycling?

Recycling involves a complex journey from collection to sorting, influenced by local policies, technology, and consumer demand.
fromsfist.com
3 weeks ago

Illegal Dumping Activity In NorCal Leads to One of the Largest Meth Busts In US History

The seizure of 2,700 pounds of meth represents a substantial disruption to the supply chain operating within mountain and valley communities across the region. Eight people were arrested in conjunction with the bust, including one individual who was reportedly on the National Terrorist Watch List.
California
Healthcare
fromSocial Media Explorer
3 weeks ago

Medical Waste Disposal: A Breakdown - Social Media Explorer

U.S. healthcare facilities generate 3.5 million tons of medical waste annually, requiring specific disposal methods and regulatory compliance with potential fines up to $13,653 per violation.
UK politics
fromwww.independent.co.uk
2 weeks ago

Fly-tippers could be forced to clear their own rubbish under new crackdown

The UK government proposes forcing fly-tippers to clean up illegally dumped waste and allowing councils to seize offender funds for cleanup operations as fly-tipping increases 9% annually.
Law
fromQNS
4 weeks ago

Flushing man accused of running criminal enterprise that flooded Oklahoma's black market with $1.5 billion worth of medical marijuana - QNS

A Flushing man was extradited to Oklahoma to face 18 felony counts for leading a fraudulent medical marijuana licensing scheme that distributed approximately 1 million pounds of marijuana worth $1.5 billion from 2021 to 2025.
Miscellaneous
fromReadWrite
4 weeks ago

Gambling laundering network found exploiting Ukrainian refugees

Spanish police arrested 12 people operating a money-laundering network that exploited Ukrainian refugees by using their bank accounts and online gambling platforms to disguise millions in illegal profits.
fromComputerworld
3 weeks ago

Data mining? Old servers could become new source of rare earths

Korea Zinc, which it described as one of the world's largest smelters, is in talks with major US technology firms to recycle data center waste and extract rare earth. The move comes almost one year to the day after China announced immediate export controls on seven more rare earth elements critical to enterprise IT hardware manufacturing.
European startups
East Bay (California)
fromThe Oaklandside
3 weeks ago

Illegal dumpers could have vehicle registration blocked under proposed law

California proposes linking vehicle registration renewal to unpaid illegal dumping fines to increase enforcement compliance in Oakland.
Environment
fromEarth911
2 weeks ago

How You Can Help Keep Recycling Workers Safe

Recycling reduces waste and resource extraction, but material recovery facility workers face significant safety hazards, with nine deaths in 2023 and waste collection ranking as the fourth most dangerous job in the United States.
NYC parents
fromwww.aljazeera.com
1 month ago

Zimbabwean child waste-pickers work hazardous' jobs to help their families

Children as young as six in Zimbabwe engage in scrap metal collection to earn income, despite legal prohibitions on child labor for those under 16.
Miscellaneous
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

A delightful day at the dump: The trick is not to leave with more stuff than I arrived with!'

A recycling centre's ReUse shop in London salvages discarded items including unusual specimens like embalmed animals, vintage furniture, and antiques to resell rather than send to landfill.
Intellectual property law
fromPatently-O
1 month ago

Forthwith, Part II: CIT Orders Refunds for All Importers, Not Just Litigants

After the Supreme Court invalidated IEEPA tariffs, CBP continued collecting unlawful duties without issuing refunds until a federal judge ordered comprehensive relief for all affected importers regardless of litigation status.
Public health
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

A Global Glut in Cocaine Shocks the World

Cocaine overdose deaths in the U.S. reached approximately 30,000 in 2023, representing 28% of all overdose deaths, driven by record cocaine production in Colombia that tripled since 2015.
Environment
fromwww.theguardian.com
3 weeks ago

Mining's toxic timebomb: dams full of poisonous waste are dotted around the world. What happens when they burst?

A tailings dam collapse at a Chinese copper mine in Zambia released over 50 million cubic liters of acid and heavy metals into the Kafue River, causing widespread environmental devastation, water supply shutdowns, and agricultural destruction affecting millions of people.
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Iron river': Mexico's cartel violence fuelled by trafficked firearms from US

The ability of criminal groups to exercise this type of power and exercise this type of violence is closely linked to firearms trafficking, said Cecilia Farfan-Mendez, an expert on Mexican organised crime. If we want to see less violence in Mexico, this is a very important conversation.
World news
fromFortune
3 weeks ago

Plastics, fertilizers, clothing, medicines and electronics: $100-a-barrel oil has huge downstream consequences | Fortune

Crude oil is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons - molecules made mainly of carbon and hydrogen. Refineries and chemical plants separate and transform these molecules into smaller chemical building blocks known as petrochemicals. Some of the most important petrochemical building blocks include chemicals such as ethylene, propylene and benzene.
Environment
fromEarth911
1 month ago

What Can You Do With Your Old Electrical Wires and Cables?

According to the UN's Global E-waste Monitor 2024, a record 62 million metric tons of electronic waste was generated worldwide in 2022, an 82% increase since 2010. E-waste is projected to reach 82 million metric tons by 2030. In the U.S. alone, roughly 8 million tons of e-waste is discarded each year.
Environment
fromEarth911
1 month ago

How to Recycle or Dispose of Single-Use Alkaline Batteries

Never place batteries of any type in your curbside recycling bin. Batteries can damage recycling equipment and, if lithium batteries are mixed in, cause fires. Always use designated battery collection programs.
Environment
US politics
from24/7 Wall St.
2 months ago

The Hidden Role States Play in America's Gun Trafficking Crisis

State-level disparities in U.S. gun laws create an interstate trafficking market: many crime-linked firearms originate in other states, correlating with law strength.
World news
fromenglish.elpais.com
1 month ago

Precious metals boom catches the attention of organized crime in Mexico

Cartel violence and rising precious-metal prices have increased extortion, kidnappings, and security costs for mining companies operating in Mexico.
Germany news
fromThe Local Germany
2 months ago

Germany makes multiple arrests for illegal exports to Russia

Germany arrested five people for exporting at least €30 million of goods to Russia, including shipments to over 20 arms companies, violating EU sanctions.
fromGameSpot
2 months ago

Armed With Guns And Hammers, Thieves Steal $116K In Pokemon Cards

They blocked the door, kind of pointed some guns at some of the customers in the front, told everyone to stay back,
New York City
Europe politics
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Damning EU report lays bare bloc's dangerous dependence' on critical mineral imports

The EU remains dependent on China and other suppliers for critical minerals, making its 2030 renewable and supply targets unlikely without stronger domestic capacity.
from24/7 Wall St.
2 months ago

Up 158% in 2026, Is Critical Metals Too Hot to Touch?

Critical Metals ( NASDAQ:CRML ) shares rocketed 32.6% higher yesterday after the company announced the first assay results from its 2025 drilling program at the Tanbreez rare-earth project in southern Greenland. The results confirmed additional high-grade intersections across the Fjord Deposit and Upper Fjord areas, building on prior drilling success. The stock has now surged approximately 158% year-to-date in 2026 as investors bet on the project's advancement toward a pilot plant launch targeted for May.
Science
US news
fromwww.mercurynews.com
1 month ago

Rash of catalytic converter thefts reported in Saratoga

Multiple Saratoga residents experienced identity theft, fraud attempts, multiple catalytic-converter thefts, and a residential burglary resulting in several thousand dollars in losses.
California
fromThe Mercury News
2 months ago

FBI raids East Oakland lot where thieves allegedly sold stolen gas for cheap

FBI and police raided an East Oakland property suspected as a chop shop selling stolen gasoline and storing stolen vehicles, seizing multiple vehicles and equipment.
fromFast Company
2 months ago

This startup helps enterprising resellers prevent nearly a million pounds of returns from ending up in landfills

Americans are likely to have spent a record $1 trillion-plus this holiday shopping season alone, and about $5.5 trillion in retail sales in all of 2025, according to estimates by the National Retail Federation. That includes many unhappy returns for retailers: And when it comes back to them, a lot of the $850 billion in returned merchandise is often cheaper to discard than to inspect, sort, and resell-adding millions of tons to landfills every year.
E-Commerce
fromFortune
2 months ago

Mexico's ban on vapes could give drug cartels more revenue - 'those selling cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana are selling you vapes' | Fortune

The cartel said it was seizing the store, which would only be allowed to sell online outside the state. That was in early 2022, when vapes were still legal in Mexico, a market worth $1.5 billion. But earlier this month, the country banned the sale - although not the use - of electronic cigarettes. Experts believe organized crime will now consolidate its control over the sale of the devices.
Public health
London politics
fromwww.bbc.com
1 month ago

'Hit-squad' to tackle fly-tipping in Ealing

Ealing Council will invest in tidy teams, CCTV, recycling pilots, park refurbishments and street-lighting while raising council tax by 4.99%.
Miscellaneous
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Freedom from China? The mine at the centre of Europe's push for rare earth metals

Europe is developing deep underground mining in Kiruna to extract rare earths and reduce reliance on Chinese supplies amid growing geopolitical tensions.
US news
fromLos Angeles Times
2 months ago

Transnational jewelry theft ring busted after monthlong investigation, LAPD says

An organized theft ring operating since at least 2016 targeted jewelry and retail businesses across multiple U.S. states and abroad; two arrested, six suspects sought.
fromIPWatchdog.com | Patents & Intellectual Property Law
2 months ago

EUIPO-OECD Joint Study Details Close Link Between Global Counterfeit Trade and Abusive Labor Practices

Yesterday, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published the results of a joint study detailing the close connection between illicit trade in counterfeits and labor exploitation. The joint study shows clear, repeated associations between the intensity of counterfeit trade and abusive labor conditions, strongly suggesting that such conditions structurally enable the production and distribution of counterfeits.
Intellectual property law
US news
fromenglish.elpais.com
1 month ago

Recruitment through social media and $14,000 payments: How a network sends trafficked weapons from Arizona to Mexico

A U.S.-based network used phantom buyers to legally purchase and traffic high-powered .50-caliber rifles and other firearms from Arizona to Mexico for criminal groups.
World news
fromWIRED
1 month ago

Crypto-Funded Human Trafficking Is Exploding

Cryptocurrency-enabled sales of human beings for prostitution and scam compounds rose about 85% in 2025, totaling hundreds of millions and often occurring in public channels.
#plastic-pollution
World news
fromBusiness Insider
2 months ago

Why Mining In Greenland Is So Hard

Greenland's vast rare-earth reserves could reshape global critical-mineral supply, but harsh Arctic conditions, high costs, and local resistance hinder large-scale development.
fromEarth911
2 months ago

Recycling Mystery: Black-Colored Plastic

Black plastic gets its color from carbon black pigment and is commonly used in food containers, such as meat or produce trays and take-out containers, as well as disposable coffee lids, plastic bags, and hard plastic items like DVD cases and planters. While plastic is one of the categories of things that we are encouraged to recycle - when we can't reuse or repurpose it - not all black plastic items can be recycled.
Environment
Environment
fromFast Company
2 months ago

Why battery recycling is essential for supply chain security

Extended producer responsibility for batteries is essential to recover critical minerals and build closed-loop recycling as battery use and end-of-life waste rise.
Environment
fromLos Angeles Times
2 months ago

Border inspector finds protected birds in man's pants. Here's how he tried to explain it

A Tijuana resident smuggled two orange-fronted parakeets in his underwear and another smuggler hid 14 keel-billed toucans in a car dashboard.
Environment
fromLos Angeles Times
2 months ago

Very little plastic being recycled in California as state efforts falter

California's plastic recycling rates are extremely low across most plastic types, and regulatory setbacks undermine efforts to improve recycling under SB 54.
Environment
fromFast Company
1 month ago

This new tech turns cargo ship exhaust into limestone

Modular containers by Seabound capture up to 95% of ship exhaust CO2 using lime pellets that convert emissions into limestone.
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Recycled plastic packaging claims are misleading, say experts

Europe's supermarket shelves are packed with brands billing their plastic packaging as sustainable, but often only a fraction of the materials are truly recovered from waste, with the rest made from petroleum. Brands using plastic packaging from Kraft's Heinz Beanz to Mondelez's Philadelphia use materials made by the plastic manufacturing arm of the oil company Saudi Aramco. The Saudi state-owned holding opposes production cuts under the UN plastic treaty and is the world's largest corporate greenhouse-gas emitter (over 70m tonnes up to 2023).
Environment
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