The Washington-based Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) has launched a Web site, www.scraptheftalert.com, that allows recyclers and local law enforcement to work together to combat materials theft. According to ISRI, the new Web site is easier to use and much faster than the previous fax-based system.

“The [previous] system worked well early on, but we noticed two major drawbacks that needed to be addressed,” said Chuck Carr, vice president of member services for ISRI, in a press release, “First, using a statewide, multistate reporting system was not an efficient means of distributing reports, and second, the volume of reports requiring action by ISRI staff was significantly slowing down the alerts.”

The Web site is free for law enforcement and recyclers, and immediately sends reports to all registered contacts within approximately 250 miles of a theft location.