Recording and reporting metal recycling purchases

Transaction Record (Form A)

Under the Metal Dealers and Recyclers Act metal dealers and recyclers cannot purchase regulated metal unless sellers provide them with:

• Government-issued photo identification
• Their current address and telephone number
• Information about the origin and ownership of the metal
• A description of the vehicle they used to deliver the metal and its licence number

Dealers and recyclers who purchase regulated metal from a person must also record:

• The specification code established by the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries
• A description of the metal purchased (for example, ¼ inch outer diameter copper pipe)
• Weight of metal purchased
• Total purchase value of the metal
• Distinguishing marks or features such as a company logo or name

Use the Transaction Record (Form A) to record this information.

Report to Local Police Authority (Form B)

Under the Metal Dealers and Recyclers Act metal dealers and recyclers must:

• Report their purchases to police by the end of the day on which the purchases were made
• Report their purchases to police before noon of the following day if the purchases could not be reported the day they were made (even if the following day is a holiday or a weekend)
• Contact the police if they believe they are in possession of stolen metal

Dealers and recyclers should contact their local police for information about how to submit reports. A report that has already been filed can be amended by contacting the police.

Dealers and recyclers must create customer codes to protect the identities of sellers in the reports they provide police. A code is created by taking the first 3 letters of the seller’s surname and the last three numbers, letters or characters of the seller’s Driver’s Licence or BC Identification Card.

For example, John Tucker sells regulated metal and has a B.C. Driver’s Licence with the number 1234567. The customer code for John Tucker will be “TUC567”.

Use the Report to Local Police Authority (Form B0 [PDF, 148KB] to record this information.