Page 32 from: Recycling International November/December issue 2024
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A U T H O R S Kirstin Linnenkoper, Martijn Reintjes
Johan van Peperzeel
(The Netherlands)
Dutch battery recycling pioneer
Van Peperzeel founded the largest battery
recycling facility in the country. In 2022 he
joined forces with Huiskes Metal &
Electronics Recycling, which now fully owns
the business. Van Peperzeel’s daughter
Senna is in charge of the daily manage-
ment.
At his retirement party, the battery recycler
said farewell to fellow recyclers and suppli-
ers. On this occasion he also unveiled the
company’s new storage bunkers for scrap
batteries in which he had invested some
EUR 550 000. As always, Van Peperzeel
spoke passionately about innovation in
such way that we simply cannot believe he
is really leaving the industry. ‘I may be retir-
ing, yes. I remain connected in one way or
the other. It’s too much fun, isn’t it?’
Colin Kelly (USA)
The new kid on the block at the US
Recycled Materials Association. Kelly
is the first chair to lead the organisation having
had no life-long career in recycling. But the for-
mer restaurant owner from Massachusetts has a
clear vision of where the industry should be
heading. ‘Let’s face it, in the past, the recycling
industry was pretty closed off.’ Kelly believes in
welcoming the community, and showcasing the
incredible work recyclers do, to help people get
a better understanding of the work and contri-
bution delivered by recyclers.
Jacqueline Lotzkar (Canada)
The sale of the Pacific Metals company in August shocked some in the
recycling scene. After 112 years in business, Pacific Metals Recycling from
Vancouver, Canada was no longer in the hands of Jacqueline and the Lotzkar family.
‘It was a hard decision. We determined that selling was the best decision for both
our family and our business. It was the right time.’
There is a global trend towards consolidation but that doesn’t need to be viewed
negatively, Lotzkar believes. ‘It can be a win-win for the seller and the buyer.’
Looking back, Lotzkar is grateful for the ten years she has been actively involved in
the company. ‘I’ve had the opportunity to develop an entrepreneurial mindset,
experiencing all aspects of the business including sales and marketing, operations,
and international commodity trading.’
So what’s next? She would love to continue working in the recycling space, ‘either in
Europe or North America.’
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Kyle Wiens (USA)
Wiens is the ceo of iFixit and a popular
speaker at international conferences. His online
repair community aims to empower consumers
while extending the lifecycle of modern gadgets.
The tech-savvy entrepreneur is based in San Luis
Obispo, California, where he and his team test
new devices on the market. An example is Apple’s
latest smartphone, which Wiens has found
includes a battery that can be successfully taken
out by running an electric current of 30 volts
through the adhesive. The ceo recently awarded
Google the 2024 Right to Repair Advocacy award
to on behalf of The Repair
Association for taking a leader-
ship role in terms of repairability
and circular design. Wiens is
also part of the Netflix docu-
mentary Buy More, in which he
criticises the ‘throw-away’ econ-
omy, bad product design and
the illegal dumping of waste.
Stuart Kagan (South
Africa)
Kagan is the man behind
Buddy, an online marketplace for scrap
metals. It is described by its founder as
‘the first platform built for scrappies by
scrappies and the only relationship-led
marketplace designed to build the trust
needed to conduct trades digitally.’ Born
in South Africa, Kagan moved to New
Zealand and is now living in the US. He is
very active on social media. In his pod-
cast series, Born Scrappy, he chats with
scrap traders from all over the world
about the does and don’ts and the joys
of trading in scrap.
Karima Scarpetta
(Colombia)
This year’s Top 100 contains a
handful of traders and Scarpetta is one of
them. She has spent 15 years in scrap
metal, currently working for commodity
trading firm Marex. Based in Mexico City,
Scarpetta covers South America, sourcing
scrap from Brazil, Honduras, Nicaragua,
Mexico, and Colombia and selling to cus-
tomers in Asia.
Born in Bogotá, Colombia, her career has
taken her around the globe, with stops in
Belgium, Peru, the UK and Chile. ‘This
job takes you anywhere.’ Scarpetta
thrives on relationships, which are at the
heart of scrap trading. ‘At the end of the
day, we all do much the same, so strong
connections make the difference. Luckily,
I love that part of my work.’
Dhawal Shah (India)
A partner at scrap metal trade firm
Metco India, Shah is another true
ambassador for his country and its recycling sector
(like Top 100 #1 Sanjay Mehta). In 2024 Shah
joined Recycling International as a columnist. We
believe his updates and insights in ‘Message from
Mumbai’ help to better understand India.
‘Recycling activity is at the helm of bringing socio-
economic transformation.’
One of things he loves about his work is dealing
with ‘super crazy markets and doing business in 40
different countries – all very exciting.’
Shah is vice-president of the Metal Recycling
Association of India, serves on the metals commit-
tee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry and, since May 2023, has
been BIR’s treasurer.
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Jean-Philippe Fusier (France)
Fusier is mostly known as a recycling
machinery producer operating under
the same MTB brand name. But, as with most
equipment suppliers, MTB began as a scrap recy-
cler and today manufacturing and scrap recycling
go firmly hand-in -hand. Fusier is a visionary and
innovative recycler, rather than being motivated
solely by a desire to make money. What drives him
is creating a healthy environment for future gener-
ations and securing the future of his company.
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