Sam Proler stood at the cradle of the car shredder

United States – The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries has awarded Sam Proler of Proler Steel with its Lifetime Achievement Award. The presentation was made posthumously during ISRI’€™s annual convention and exposition in Las Vegas. Proler’€™s daughter Joyce Schechter accepted the award on his behalf.

According to the recycling industry body, Proler’s ingenuity and innovation led to the invention of the automobile shredder, a development that changed the course of the sector.

‘Sam Proler came from a distinguished family of recyclers,’ said ISRI’s president Robin Wiener. ‘He was passionate about recycling, the environment and his family. He made countless contributions that had significant impacts on the recycling industry. Early on in his career, he helped change the image of the industry by eliminating the word “junk” from the name of the family business.’

But Sam Proler, along with his brothers, will be best remembered for developing the shredder which forever reshaped the industry. Metals identification expert and recycling industry leader Ron Reich was also presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the convention.