Suspension Of Camden Scrap Metal Facility To Be Re-Evaluated In Early July, City Says

CAMDEN, NJ — A suspension handed to a scrap metal recycling facility that has caught fire at least 12 times over the last five years will be re-evaluated in a few weeks, the City of Camden said.

EMR Advanced Recycling was ordered to stop its junkyard operations, including shredding, on June 4 after being targeted for years over their handling of materials on their grounds.

In the "Notice of Suspension," Director of Code Enforcement Gabriel Camacho called the smoke, airborne release of hazardous materials, noise, and overall disruption "a condition that is harmful, offensive, or obstructive to the reasonable use and enjoyment of property...endangering the health and safety of Camden City residents."

Following the latest fire on May 29, officials in the City joined together and formally called for the plant's closing.

"We will not stand idly by while residents are exposed to fires on a regular basis and have to bear the burdens of an operation that clearly cannot function in a safe manner," the joint statement from Commissioner Jeffrey Nash, Mayor Victor Carstarphen, Senator Nilsa Cruz-Perez, Council President Angel Fuentes, and Councilman Arthur Barclay said.

In response, EMR said it would stop operations while this latest case was looked into further and applauded the early detection results from its new suppression system that debuted just days before.

This followed a bill that cleared the State General Assembly in March that would establish safety measures for scrap metal operations and involve enhanced oversight after ongoing issues at the EMR facility.

Just days later, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General and DEP amended a lawsuit from January against EMR.

The State said they acted "to hold EMR accountable for several additional fires that have occurred in recent weeks," and at least 12 over the last five years, including a Camden fire in February 2025 that forced 100 residents out of their homes while the flames were brought under control. Read More: NJ Attacks Camden County Recycling Business Again For Allegedly Causing Fires

The suspension handed to EMR is set to be re-evaluated after 30 days.

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