Opinion: Metal Shredders Are Peddling a Toxic Carveout

The metal shredding industry, which handles toxic waste in Bay Area communities, is attempting to overhaul hazardous waste laws to get a sweetheart carveout from the state.

That is why we strongly urge lawmakers to vote “NO” on Senate Bill 811.

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Authored by Senator Caballero (District 14), SB 811 is a dangerous piece of deregulation masquerading as a comprehensive oversight framework. The bill is an industry handout designed to exempt metal shredding facilities from California’s strict hazardous waste laws and allow them to regulate themselves. Senator Caballero represents the Fresno area, which, notably, does not include a metal shredding facility.

But the reality of metal shredding operations is grim. The cars, major appliances, and electronic waste that these facilities process are packed with fire-prone lithium-ion batteries, lead, cadmium, gasoline, and other contaminants. When the volatile compounds at these facilities invariably ignite, they release clouds of harmful smoke. When shredded, they release highly hazardous residues and toxic dust that wind and rain carry straight into surrounding neighborhoods and waterways.

The Radius Recycling ^[2] facility (formerly Schnitzer Steel) in Oakland, for example, sits right on the Bay shoreline. Contamination from the facility, both from its routine operations and the toxic fires that periodically erupt there, have long plagued nearby communities and residents, and the Bay itself. The site caught fire just a few days ago, on June 22, preceded by another fire in March of this year. In 2023 a large fire at Radius burned for two days and sent up a plume of toxic smoke ^[3], leading to criminal charges against the company and two executives. Sims Metal, which is located adjacent to a public fishing pier and the Bair Island Nature Preserve in Redwood City, has burst into flame multiple times in recent years. In 2021, a large fire there triggered explosions and dangerous metal projectiles.

Does this sound like an industry that can regulate itself?

But this is exactly what SB 811 would do. The bill allows facilities to write their own safety plans and make unilateral operational changes—potentially spiking toxic emissions—without public engagement or state approval.

Specifically, SB 811 fails to protect communities and ecosystems because it does not require the safe enclosure of toxic waste piles and shredding operations. Enclosure is the best practice for reducing pollution from these types of operations. The bill also lacks robust testing, reporting, and evaluation measures, and contains weak public notice and hearing requirements.

Most of all, SB 811 is an assault on the rights of the communities living near these polluting shredders, forcing them to live with the consequences of the state’s deregulation without any meaningful say in the matter.

Our state’s environmental laws exist to protect human health and fragile ecosystems, and should not be traded away for political gain. We should be strengthening enforcement, not sweeping corporate liability under the rug. That’s why we and our partners are urging the California legislature to prioritize public safety and clean water over corporate convenience. The legislature must reject SB 811.

Ben Eichenberg is Senior Staff Attorney at San Francisco Baykeeper, a nonprofit organization that defends the Bay and its watershed from the biggest threats, holding polluters and government agencies accountable. For more information visit baykeeper.org ^[4].