Pile of Scrap

Recycling doesn’t stop at the recycling bin. As recyclers, we know that, but do consumers? After touring Sierra Recycling & Demolition, former NFL quarterback and current ESPN Analyst Mark Sanchez got valuable insight into the recycling industry, the common misconceptions, and steps consumers must take to recycle correctly. Sanchez then discusses the life-altering moments crucial to gaining the co...

As someone who’s spent his entire youth and most of his adult life as an avid surfer, President of Atlantic Packaging Wes Carter has seen the damages that plastic pollution has had on our oceans firsthand. When approached about what the packaging industry is doing about it, a lightbulb finally went off. Since then, Wes is leading the charge in advocating for better ways to clean up landfills and s...

The service technicians over at Sierra bring a new light to the term, “Young Guns” as they sit with John Sacco to talk all about how this industry has transformed them from “boys to men” seeing as their maturity levels have grown over the years. Ricardo Diaz, Angel Mariscal, and Arturo Madrigal (Jr.) together discuss the common mistakes all the way to the impressive attributes they see at their cu...

Coming as a sigh of relief to many, 2020 is finally over, and it’s time to start gearing up for the year ahead. Looking back on all the experiences we’ve had and memories we’ve made on Pile of Scrap, we can say that we’ve learned a few things that we can carry with us into 2021. To kickstart new beginnings, John goes over the importance of this industry, getting our voices heard and, overall, how...

Ep. 39: Business Must Continue by Sierra International Machinery

John Sacco joins his brother, Philip Sacco, and nephew, Philip Sacco II, in Wyoming for a special Pile of Scrap episode focusing on the importance of family business and what it’s like growing up at Sierra, all while reminiscing on a few crazy stories.

Working in the scrap industry is a little different than your average day job, and A&S Metals owners Stanley Silva, II (Buddy) and Stanley Silva, III (Buddy Jr.) can attest to that. Taking after generations before them, these guys are the embodiment of what hard work looks like. To discuss the history of the company and the essential aspects of recycling, John Sacco and his nephew, Philip Sacco, t...

Unlike your typical Pile of Scrap episode, John Sacco decides to shake things up a bit by putting recycling on hold for a moment and discussing a topic everyone can resonate with: music. While enjoying a couple of steaks and sitting down with singer/songwriter Matthew Shafer, better known as Country music star Uncle Kracker, these guys waste no time in talking about how different music artists and...

Walking through Sierra’s scrapyard, John Sacco realizes he has a few things he needs to get off his chest. Although touching on topics all across the board, he doubles down how exactly government legislators are silencing those in the recycling industry when it comes to how recycled commodities should be labeled. John says enough is enough! It’s time to speak up and get our message out there: Scra...

Surprise! John Sacco packs his bags and heads to Sterling Heights, Michigan to pay his good friend, Mikey Foon, an unexpected visit. As the fourth-generation owner of Admiral Metals, things are a bit different for Mikey than when his great-grandfather owned the place during the horse-and-buggy days. Through mastering social media, putting plans in place for a second location, and learning to cope...

Initially establishing itself as a small welding and repair shop in 1972, JWR has evolved into a national waste and recycling equipment company offering additional services over the years, such as sandblasting, painting, truck and hoist repair, and container repair. Traveling to Johnson Creek, Wisconsin, John Sacco joins Dave Wolf, Owner of JWR, to talk about the lack of recycling in rural America...

Back in Moscow, Idaho, John visits the Beauchamp’s to hear how a Pile of Scrap episode influenced their company, Bulrushed Books. For a business that began its start in repairing old, abused books, Mark and Kristen Beauchamp have since made quite the impact within the recycling industry… All thanks to the insight of Pile of Scrap guest Leonard Zeid, President of Paper Stock Industries. Figuring th...

John Sacco is thrilled to finally log off of Zoom, let loose, and give you the full Pile of Scrap experience after the COVID-19 nationwide shutdown. John travels to Moscow, Idaho, to sit down face-to-face with Jeremy Spencer, West Coast Representative of Atlantic Packaging, to cover everything from how packaging can increase sustainability to how consumers can participate in recycling without nega...

Sierra founder, Ben Sacco, had a vision for his company: to improve the recycling process with better equipment and share that throughout the World. With John and Philip Sacco at the helm, they have been able to fulfill this vision. However, this success wasn’t handed over on a silver platter. Between leading an organized and clean recycling facility to Ben’s philosophy to always “telling the cust...

After months of being cooped up in our homes day-in and day-out due to the stay-at-home orders swept across the nation, it’s easy to admit that we’ve all been itching to get our lives back to normal as quickly as possible. During this time, John Sacco gives us his take on how the COVID-19 crisis has particularly affected creativity and human interaction in the workplace as well as making a vast im...

During the novel Coronavirus pandemic, face masks and hand sanitizers have been a common procedure at essential businesses everywhere. However, over at Sierra, safety has been taken a step further when ensuring their employees are taking the necessary precautions. Felipe Guerra, Director of Safety at Sierra, joins Pile of Scrap once again to discuss the major changes they’ve made to ‘flatten the c...

As the next generation of recyclers are getting geared up to take over the reins of the industry, they can’t help but give credit to the generations before them that have paved the way for their success. Chad Olgin from Olgin Efune Recycling, Sean Daoud from PNW Recycling, and Jacqueline Lotzkar from Pacific Metals Recycling meet with John Sacco to talk about the improvements they see for ISRI, th...

With classes transitioning to online, trips being cancelled, and working from home becoming the new norm, it’s safe to say that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our lives in the most unexpected way. John Sacco’s daughter, Giovanna, joins Pile of Scrap to discuss how her life was changed once she first heard of the European travel ban while in the U.K. for a semester abroad. Between having been a...

Ep. 25: Safely or Not at All with Sierra's Felipe Guerra by Sierra International Machinery

In addition to being CEO of BENLEE, the #1 roll off trailer manufacturer in North America, some may also consider Greg Brown a celebrity for his weekly reports in economics, scrap metal, and recycling. Greg sits down with John Sacco to tell us his perspective on the affects the novel Coronavirus has had on China, the struggle in finding a workforce, and even the time his life was saved by a gun ja...

After making the tough decision to cancel ISRI’s annual convention due to COVID-19, ISRI President Robin Wiener and Chairman Brian Shine join John Sacco to discuss what members need to know going forward in this crisis. Taking into account how essential recycling is for infrastructure and critical manufacturing, these two leaders explain how diligently they’ve worked in pressuring the federal gove...

As we get more and more emerged into the Coronavirus pandemic, there are many questions being asked within the scrap industry. John Sacco invites medical professional Dr. Vip Dev and the biggest names in scrap such as Brett Ekart from United Metals Recycling, Sean Daoud from PNW Metal Recycling, Matt Kripke from Kripke Enterprises, Andrew Lincoln from Lincoln Recycling, and Nathan Frankel from Adv...

Basic necessities have been wiped from the shelves since the outbreak of the Coronavirus has stirred up panic in our communities. Toilet paper, water, and even certain meats – gone. John Sacco sits down with us to discuss the absurdity the World has been going through the past few days and how improving communication between production companies and consumers can positively affect these circumstan...

With the ISRI convention being officially cancelled and having a daughter overseas spending the semester abroad after an announcement of a European travel ban, John Sacco is starting to feel the panic of the novel Coronavirus. Having uncertainty about what this virus means for our economy and others in the industry, John advises us to remain calm.

Update: Due to the ongoing developments of the novel Coronavirus ISRI, including the WHO pandemic declaration and the many state-of-emergency declarations around the country, ISRI cannot go forward with ISRI2020 this April. However, this podcast episode still highlights the benefits of attending an ISRI National Convention. We hope to see you at ISRI2021 in San Diego! If there’s one thing the Inst...