Western Metals Recycling

What Western Metals Recycling does

Western Metals Recycling, LLC (WMR) is a privately held scrap metal recycler founded in 1996 and headquartered in the Salt Lake City area, operating six recycling facilities across Colorado, Utah and Nevada (Denver, Grand Junction, Salt Lake City, Provo, Plymouth and Sparks). The company purchases ferrous scrap (iron, steel, end-of-life vehicles) and non-ferrous scrap (aluminum, copper, brass, wire) from individual household sellers, industrial and commercial accounts, and vehicle owners, then processes the material using three automobile shredders, an aluminum shredder, balers, shears, mobile shearing, torch processing and auto crushing equipment before reselling to steel mills and metal manufacturers. Supporting the physical operation are mobile crushing and baling crews servicing industrial customers across nine states, roll-off and lugger container logistics, certified computerized scales with kiosk-based ticketing, an ATM-driven immediate-cash-payment workflow, and the MyScrapInfo online supplier portal for ticket, payment and container tracking.

WMR is a wholly owned venture of The David J. Joseph Company (DJJ), one of the largest scrap metal companies in the United States, which itself became part of Nucor Corporation (Fortune 120 steelmaker) in 2008; WMR is therefore an indirect Nucor subsidiary and part of a broader DJJ family that includes six other branded regional recyclers. Revenue is generated primarily through the spread between purchase price paid to suppliers and resale price realized from mills and secondary buyers, supplemented by industrial service fees for container delivery, transportation, mobile crushing/baling and demolition work. The go-to-market combines walk-in/consumer drop-off at yards with a sales-led industrial dispatch model; customer segments are household sellers, industrial/commercial accounts, and end-of-life vehicle owners. The business holds OSHA SHARP designation across four facilities, ISRI Circle of Safety Superior Achievement Award (2019), Nucor President's Safety Award, Utah Safety Council Award of Merit (six consecutive years) and Colorado Environmental Leadership Program Gold Leader recognition (six consecutive years).

Name

Western Metals Recycling

Legal name

Western Metals Recycling, LLC

Website

https://wmrecycling.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Western Metals Recycling is the largest scrap metal recycler in the Rocky Mountain region, operating six facilities across Colorado, Utah and Nevada to purchase and process ferrous and non-ferrous scrap from households, industrial accounts and vehicle owners. It is an indirect subsidiary of Nucor Corporation via The David J. Joseph Company.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scrap Metal Recycling Services

NAICS

Metal Service Centers and Other Metal Merchant Wholesalers (423510)

SIC

Wholesale-Metals & Minerals (No Petroleum) (5050)

akta.pro primary industry

Scrap Metal Collection, Logistics & Aggregation (Yards, Roll-off, Container Programs) (IMAKAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

E-Waste & Electronics Metal Recovery (ITAD, Circuit Boards, Precious Metal Recovery) (IMAKAMAG), Construction & Demolition (C&D) Metal Recycling (Structural Steel, Rebar, Roofing, Wire) (IMAKAMAF), Ferrous Scrap Processing & Recycling (Steel/Iron) (EUAIAJAA), Non-Ferrous Scrap Processing & Recycling (Aluminum, Copper, Brass, Lead, Zinc) (EUAIAJAB)

Keywords

• Scrap metal recycling
• Ferrous metal processing
• Nonferrous metal recycling
• End-of-life vehicle recycling
• Industrial scrap services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sandy

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Scrap Metal Purchasing and Resale: WMR purchases ferrous scrap (iron, steel, autos) and nonferrous scrap (aluminum, copper, brass, wire) from household and commercial customers at competitive market prices, then processes and resells the materials to steel mills and metal manufacturers. Revenue is generated through the margin between purchase price and sale price of processed scrap metals.
2. Industrial Services: Provides mobile crushing, baling, demolition services, transportation, and container delivery/pickup services to industrial customers. Services include certified scales, computerized purchases, and logistics coordination. Revenue from service fees and material processing.
3. End-of-Life Vehicle Purchasing: Purchases end-of-life vehicles including cars, trucks, tractors, and lawnmowers for cash, including vehicles that don't run. Vehicles are then processed for scrap metal recovery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Western Metals Recycling purchases ferrous (iron, steel, autos) and nonferrous (aluminum, copper, brass, wire) scrap metal from households, individuals, and industrial accounts at competitive market prices, processes the material using shredders, balers, shears, mobile crushing equipment, and auto crushers, and resells the processed metals to steel mills and metal manufacturers. The company also purchases end-of-life vehicles and provides industrial services including mobile car crushing, baling, demolition, container delivery/pickup, and certified computerized scale transactions across six facilities in Colorado, Utah, and Nevada plus mobile operations across nine states.

Product overview

Western Metals Recycling (WMR) operates as a scrap metal recycling company with six facilities across Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. The core offering consists of scrap metal recycling services for ferrous and nonferrous metals, end-of-life vehicle purchasing, and industrial scrap services including mobile crushing, baling, demolition, and container logistics. Supporting these operations is the MyScrapInfo supplier portal for tracking transactions, and a Recycling Rewards loyalty program for repeat customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scrap Metal Recycling Purchases and processes ferrous and nonferrous scrap metal from households and commercial accounts, including aluminum, copper, brass, wire, steel, iron, and other metals. Customers drop off material at any of six WMR facilities in Colorado, Utah, and Nevada, where it is weighed on certified computerized scales, and sellers are paid immediately in cash via on-site ATM.
• End-of-Life Vehicle Purchasing Cash purchase of end-of-life vehicles including cars, trucks, tractors, and lawnmowers regardless of running condition. Vehicles are processed for scrap metal recovery at WMR facilities using automobile shredders and auto crushers.
• Industrial Scrap Services Full-service scrap management for industrial and commercial customers including mobile car crushing and baling crews operating across nine states, industrial demolition support, roll-off and lugger container delivery and pickup (10-50 yard and 3-10 yard containers), transportation logistics, and certified computerized scale transactions. Same-day and emergency pickup available with around-the-clock fleet operations.
• MyScrapInfo Supplier Portal Web-based supplier portal provided to WMR customers for tracking transaction tickets, payments, container status, and supporting documents, with the ability to capture and store photos of loads and export ticket records for internal record keeping.

Quantifiable outcome

• Accident rates below 1/3 of recycling industry average
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nucor CorporationcoreOthers · 1 January 2008Parent company of The David J. Joseph Company. Nucor is a Fortune 120 steel and steel products company. DJJ became part of Nucor's family of companies in 2008, making WMR an indirect subsidiary of Nucor.
• The David J. Joseph Company (DJJ)coreOthers · 1 January 1996WMR is a wholly owned venture of Cincinnati-based DJJ, one of USA's largest scrap metal companies. DJJ provides scrap metal brokerage, recycling, and transportation services. WMR was formed in 1996 combining Atlas Steel facilities with DJJ's scrap processing plants.
• Advantage Metals RecyclingminorOthersAffiliate company under the DJJ/Nucor umbrella offering scrap metal recycling facilities across Missouri and Kansas.
• Gemini RecyclingminorOthersAffiliate company under the DJJ/Nucor umbrella offering complete scrap management services for companies of all sizes.
• Metal Recycling ServicesminorOthersAffiliate company under the DJJ/Nucor umbrella offering scrap metal recycling facilities throughout North Carolina.
• River Metals RecyclingminorOthersAffiliate company under the DJJ/Nucor umbrella offering scrap metal recycling facilities in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and West Virginia.
• Texas Port RecyclingminorOthersAffiliate company under the DJJ/Nucor umbrella offering scrap metal recycling facilities throughout Texas.
• Trademark Metals RecyclingminorOthersAffiliate company under the DJJ/Nucor umbrella offering scrap metal recycling facilities throughout Florida.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• OmniSource Corporation: One of the largest metals recyclers in North America and a subsidiary of Steel Dynamics. Operates a comparable yard-and-shredder-based ferrous and nonferrous scrap collection/processing model with industrial account services, making it the closest publicly-disclosed direct competitor to WMR's operating model.
• Radius Recycling (formerly Schnitzer Steel Industries): National scrap metal recycler and finished steel product manufacturer with deep yard network and shredder capacity. Competes head-to-head in ferrous and nonferrous processing, end-of-life vehicle recycling, and mill-direct scrap sales in overlapping geographies.
• SA Recycling: One of the largest full-service scrap metal recyclers in North America (acquired Sims Metal North American operations). Comparable yard and shredder footprint across the Western US, and direct competitor for industrial accounts, ELV processing, and ferrous/nonferrous volumes.
• Advantage Metals Recycling: Sibling affiliate under the same DJJ/Nucor umbrella as WMR, operating scrap metal recycling facilities across Missouri and Kansas. Same parent, same operating playbook, and sharing back-office procurement/brokerage support — a structural twin peer in a different region.
• River Metals Recycling: Sibling affiliate under DJJ/Nucor running scrap metal recycling yards in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and West Virginia. Shares the DJJ playbook on safety, environmental compliance, and operating systems, making it a directly comparable peer with geographic isolation.
• Trademark Metals Recycling: Sibling affiliate under DJJ/Nucor providing scrap metal recycling throughout Florida. Operates the same basic yard-and-industrial-services model, allowing direct operating comparison to WMR across the DJJ portfolio.
• Texas Port Recycling: Sibling affiliate under DJJ/Nucor operating scrap facilities in Texas. Shares management at the top (Jeff Davis oversees both Texas Port Recycling and WMR) and follows the same operating playbook, providing an internal benchmark for WMR's performance.
• Metalico: Regional/nonferrous-focused US scrap recycler with auto shredder, roll-off, and industrial services. Competes for ferrous/nonferrous volumes and end-of-life vehicle scrap in geographic-adjacent markets.

Regional players

• Cascades Recovery: North American recycler with yard and processing capabilities primarily in Canada and the US Northeast/Midwest. Comparable end-of-life vehicle and industrial scrap collection services but geographically separated from WMR's Mountain West footprint.

Others

• Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI): Industry trade association representing the US scrap recycling industry, of which WMR is a member and award recipient. Provides market data, regulatory advocacy, and safety benchmarking that shapes the competitive landscape in which WMR operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WMRecycling
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/western-metals-recycling

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Western Metals Recycling