Page 38 from: March 2013

38 March 2013

Shelly Li
Founder of Smart Metals

W O M E N I N R E C Y C L I N G

As the founder of Smart

Metals, Shelly Li is

responsible for running

the e-scrap division of

First America Metal, one

of the five largest export-

ers in the US Midwest.

She has also been active

as an award-winning sci-

ence fiction author for

the last four years and

hopes her role at Smart

Metals will allow her to

translate her sustainabil-

ity vision from fiction

into reality.

What first made you decide
to get involved in recycling?
‘My father is a former commodities
trader turned scrap metal exporter, so I
spent the great majority of my childhood
rummaging through his scrap yard.
Through his company’s ups and downs
– and eventually, First America Metal’s
public offering through a reverse merg-
er with Golden Oasis, an alternate
energy group – I learned a lot about the
worth of different materials. And I
realised that I really want to help the
generation under me understand how
important it is to take care of the envi-
ronment that breeds you, and always to
strive to protect rather than to destroy.’

Considering that you are
such a creative individual,
did you expect your future to
lie in the e-scrap business?
‘Despite growing up in the industry, I
never necessarily thought that I would

follow in my father’s footsteps – not as
a child, anyway. So it was quite a sur-
prise to me when I did. Yet I gradually
began to see and fully appreciate the
beauty of an ongoing cycle and, today,
turning unwanted materials into a vari-
ety of products that will be reused
somewhere in the world has become
something that still drives me further
and further into this industry.’

What are the main challeng-
es you have encountered in
the US recycling industry?
‘I would say the US sector’s biggest
problem lies in maintaining trade rela-
tionships with its current greatest trade
partner, namely China, while at the

same time pivoting to fi nd other part-
ners in other Asian/African countries.
Essentially, we are trading with a coun-
try that has a need for our recyclable
materials at the present, but doesn’t
really want to be a manufacturing
country that needs a great majority of
our materials any longer. The US recy-
cling industry needs to look at other
opportunities, diversify its offerings, so
that if something strikes China eco-
nomically, we can minimise our risk.’

To date, what has been your
most rewarding experience
in recycling?
‘Knowing that the humanitarian aspect
is very much present in recycling, that

it’s not all about the bottom line. This
is an industry that really grows your
heart because my job allows me to
wake up every day knowing that our
results help other people – whether it’s
through something most industries
accomplish, like providing jobs, or
something specifi c to the recycling sec-
tor, like minimising waste. I also love
walking into client meetings, talking
about the environmental results that
our company has achieved overseas,
and watching the domestic wholesal-
er’s outlook on what we do change
completely within the span of 10 min-
utes. Their attitude can switch from
sceptical or even suspicious to welcom-
ing and eager to co-operate. Witness-
ing that change is amazing.’

Do you have any specific
ambitions?
‘I think there is lots of potential to
develop e-scrap recycling at colleges
due to a lack of awareness among stu-
dents. Smart Metals is located near
Duke University – where I am studying
economics and philosophy – and has
access to two other large universities as
well. Spanning students and employees,
we’re talking about a quarter of a mil-
lion people. I really want to reach this
market, because though there are recy-
cling bins on campus, there is nowhere
to discard items with a metallic content.
That is quite disheartening to me. Right
now, we are installing some e-scrap
kiosks to give people a sustainable solu-
tion for their batteries, wires, etc.’

How do you think Smart
Metals will impact the US
market in the near future?
‘Like anyone in the industry, I would
like to say immediately or tomorrow. It
will take a while to tackle the existing
info-gap and to fi nally see more players
pay more attention to the e-scrap sec-
tor, but I am sure our efforts will catch

‘Always strive to protect rather
than to destroy.’

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