By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Eastern Metal Recycling (EMR), a scrap metal recycling facility in Camden that experienced its 13th fire in six years in late May, filed a lawsuit challenging the city’s suspension of its junkyard license issued in June.
- The company claims the city acted outside its authority and violated due process, arguing the suspension cost it $10 million in lost revenue and operational expenses while harming its competitive standing in the industry.
- Mayor Victor Carstarphen, County Commissioner Jeffrey Nash, State Senator Nilsa-Cruz Perez, and Camden City Council leadership passed a resolution calling on all regulatory agencies to permanently close the facility over public safety concerns.
- The New Jersey Attorney General and Department of Environmental Protection filed a separate public nuisance lawsuit in January 2026 seeking to force EMR to implement fire prevention measures at its Camden facilities.
- EMR employs approximately 500 people, including 179-150 Camden residents; the company maintains fires resulted from improperly disposed lithium-ion batteries, though city and state officials contest that characterization.
CAMDEN, N.J. — Eastern Metal Recycling (EMR), a scrap metal recycling facility in Camden, sued the city for suspending its junkyard license following a two-alarm fire in late May that was the facility’s 13th fire-related incident in six years, according to court filings.
The city issued the license suspension in June citing public safety concerns after smoke plumes from the May fire reached into Gloucester Township. In its complaint filed Monday, EMR argued the city acted beyond its legal authority and failed to provide due process. The company asserts that the operational suspension has cost it $10 million in lost revenue and operational expenses and caused irreparable harm in the competitive, relationship-driven scrap metal industry.
Camden city officials and local representatives responded to the lawsuit by advancing a resolution calling for the facility’s permanent closure. Mayor Victor Carstarphen, County Commissioner Jeffrey Nash, State Senator Nilsa-Cruz Perez, City Council President Angel Fuentes, and City Council Vice President Arthur Barclay signed a joint statement stating: “We will not stand idly by while residents are exposed to fires on a regular basis and have to bear the burdens of an operation that clearly cannot function in a safe manner. We will no longer allow shelter in place alerts to go out because of another mishap in this scrap metal operation.”
EMR employs approximately 500 workers in Camden, including between 150 and 179 residents, according to the complaint. The company warned that continued operational suspension will force layoffs. However, environmental justice advocates noted sympathy for workers while maintaining responsibility lies solely with EMR for operating unsafe conditions. In January 2026, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette filed a separate public nuisance lawsuit seeking to force EMR to implement enhanced fire prevention measures at its Camden facilities on South Front Street.
EMR attributes the fires to improperly disposed lithium-ion batteries entering the facility. The company entered a memorandum of understanding with the city in August 2025 to install a fire suppression system at a cost of $6.7 million and agreed to reduce property size by nine acres. However, officials stated in their joint resolution that “that story line is old and irrelevant at this point,” citing the continued pattern of fires despite previous safety commitments and investments. The most extensive fire occurred in February 2025, a four-alarm incident that burned for approximately 12 hours and forced nearby resident evacuations. Camden residents have reported health effects including respiratory illnesses, nausea, headaches, and irritated throats resulting from smoke exposure and air quality degradation from the repeated fires.
