It looks like Michigan's new anti-scrapping law is not doing what it was supposed to.
The new law was supposed to make it tougher to sell stolen scrap metal. It put limits on cash payments. It also created paper trails, to make it easier for police to track down illegal scrappers.
Democratic State Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, pushed for years to toughen Michigan's scrap metal laws. She says there are a number of loopholes around the new cash exchange.
“The new law allows for commercial accounts, for example, mechanics, a company that does air conditioning repairs. If you are a commercial account, you do not have to comply with the 'no cash exchange for $25 or more.'”
Tlaib says some scrap metal dealers are taking advantage of the loophole. The representative believes that there should not be a cash threshold at all.
“We’ve learned that other states and cities saw a 70% reduction (in illegal scrapping) when you completely got rid of cash exchange,” says Tlaib.
* Listen to the interview with Rashida Tlaib above.
