Still Active After All These Years

For more than a half century Cal Lieberman has dedicated himself to the scrap processing and recycling industry. Although 50 years of service might be enough for some, this self-described “stubborn survivor” has no intention of bowing out now.

Lieberman entered the scrap industry in 1937, working for Kasle Iron & Metal Co. in Toledo, Ohio. Ten years later he formed his own company, Ace Steel Baling Inc., also of Toledo. Today he works as a legislative and environmental consultant for A. Edelstein & Son Inc., Toledo. But what Lieberman is probably best known for through his lengthy career is his dedication to fighting for fair legislation and regulation of the industry, something he continues to do today.

Lieberman chalked up his first of many legislative victories in the early 1950s, working on behalf of the Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel's (ISIS) Northern Ohio Chapter with then Chapter President Jack Levand (now of Levand Steel and Supply Corp., Los Angeles) to defeat an Ohio tag-and-hold proposal, complete with fingerprinting requirements. (ISIS was one of the predecessor associations of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries--ISRI.)

"What I recognized working on the tag-and-hold proposal," he recalls, "is that legislators didn't know anything about the scrap industry. When they don't understand what you do and how and why you do it, you have to do an educational job before you can get to the issue. The impact of the proposal on a scrap dealer’s business can be realized only if you know something about the business.” Unfortunately, he adds, “during the legislative session we found that lawmakers generally didn’t have time for industry primers. Their time is limited, so we had to work hard and fast to win.”

It was this experience that led Lieberman to set up the first ISIS chapter legislative committee in 1958 for the Northern Ohio Chapter. “I wanted a legislative committee at the chapter level to achieve credibility for the industry at the state level,” he says. The plan was a success and became a model for other ISIS chapters.

Setting Exemption Precedents

Lieberman's background in legislative lobbying traces to World War II, when he was made vice chairman of the first salvage drive in Toledo, a position that allowed him to get to know city officials. This involvement was a tremendous asset, he notes, when a city fencing ordinance was proposed a few years later. "I had established a relationship through service that allowed me the credibility to explain why scrap dealers should be exempt," he explains. "They knew about my plant and how it worked and understood the Toledo dealers' problem with the proposal." The result? "We were exempted," he says.

Lieberman found similar results in 1963, you have to do an educational job before when scrap processors were exempted from you can get to the issue. The impact of the Ohio's fencing legislation. That exemption was not only important for the industry in Ohio, but for every scrap processor in the United States. Just two years later, the Ohio precedent was the basis for the industry’s exemption from Lady Bird Johnson’s Highway Beautification Act of 1965. Without that exemption, the industry could have been devastated by the expense of plant relocations.

Liberman’s next victory for the industry came when his company decided to take on Ohio’s sales tax on cranes. The case was decided by the state Supreme Court in 1969 and was considered a landmark decision for the scrap industry--cranes used in plants were made exempt from sales tax. This precedent has been used throughout the country, saving untold dollars for the industry.

Pioneering the Scrap/Waste Distinction

Always a man of vision, it was back in 1958 that Lieberman decided to take a course in solid waste management offered by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (now the Department of Health and Human Services). He thought the issue of solid waste could well have an impact on the scrap industry. He was obviously right, but he didn't realize at the time just how frustrating this issue would be for the industry.

In the mid-1960s he found himself working with the city of Toledo on pollution control for burning autos prior to processing. This led him to study various environmental laws and regulations for ISIS and to become aware of solid waste problems that could become difficult situations for scrap processors.

During his decades of work for the industry, one of Lieberman's few frustrations has been the inability to get governments to establish a proper definition for solid waste. Is it a resource? Is it a pollutant? "We just don't have good definitions," he says. "We have yet to successfully divorce the scrap processing and recycling industry from the pollution problems of solid waste. Legislators at all levels of government seem to want to include us where we don't want to be and surely don't belong, " he continues. "Neither government officials nor the public is able to put recycling in its proper perspective."

Lieberman likely wouldn't feel so frustrated if he hadn't worked so hard on this effort. In 1974 he submitted testimony to the U.S. Senate's Committee on Public Works. Like much of his past work, many of his testimony points could easily be presented today:

"While hazardous wastes require severe regulations when the health and safety of the public is in jeopardy, such regulations have no application to recyclable, but nonhazardous, wastes."

"We suggest legislation that allows the marketplace and the laws of economics to operate as both a stimulant and a governor for a recycling system."

"Are we willing to accept the consequences when funding allows the establishment of centers throughout the country to produce a tremendous amount of recovered materials from collected wastes--materials which do not meet current specifications with expensive noneconomic processing, materials which have no home for consumption? This would merely be spinning very expensive wheels."

"There is such a demand for public funds today, that it is somewhat of a paradox to provide funds to establish recycling complexes if the economics do not warrant it and at the same time fail to make the economics viable."

Also in 1974, Lieberman represented the scrap industry at Henniker III, a week-long conference in which participants drafted proposals to the U.S. Congress on materials policy, with special emphasis on recycling. He also was appointed by Ohio's governor to serve on the state Solid Waste Management Advisory Committee.

During the 1970s, the issue of abandoned autos took a great deal of Lieberman's time. Like many of his efforts, this one paid off: The abandoned auto law he helped enact in Ohio became a model for the country. "It worked extremely well in Ohio," he says, "and we kept abandoned clunkers off the streets." Because of his expertise in this area, he was asked to participate with the Federal Bureau of Investigations in a national auto theft conference.

One legislative success totally unrelated to environmental concerns that Lieberman remembers with great pride is the battle he waged on workers' compensation insurance in Ohio. The result was a savings of millions of dollars for scrap processors in the state.

Balancing the Past With the Future

Cal Lieberman loves the scrap industry. He loves to talk about the industry and he loves to work for the industry. He says with pride and caring in his voice, "this industry is unique-people in the industry share, they cooperate, they care. There's a special feeling that you just don't get in other groups."

And while he enjoys reminiscing, Lieberman is quick to point out that "we can't live in the past. It does influence the future," he adds, "but you must look ahead."

In viewing the future, he says, environmental legislation must be a focal point. "Environmental laws such as Superfund are the most critical concerns we have today," he points out. "What can you do when a law passed now can reach back 40 or 50 years to the time you started in business?" he asks rhetorically. "With what's happening today, they can put you out of business tomorrow."

"And if they don't put you out of business with Superfund, they'll fund a recycling center to compete with you directly," he says. Therefore, Lieberman emphasizes, "federal- and state-funded systems to sort and process materials from the waste stream should be of concern to every scrap processor."

Although the issues are difficult, he feels that the industry can stay on top if ReMA members are active in their chapters and at the local level and if they communicate with their representatives in Congress.

"There is a need for lobbyists, but there is also a need for scrap processors to develop and maintain relationships with legislators and to support legislative activities statewide," he says. "We can't afford to depend on a few industry volunteers." He still stands behind his quote in the February 1, 1958, Waste Trade Journal: "Too often, scrap dealers are on the defensive when action is proposed by state or city legislators. ... I'm certain a good offense is better than the best defense."

He adds 32 years later: "I'm in favor of using a 2-by-4 more and more to get the attention of the mule."

In addition to the need for scrap recyclers to get involved in offensive strategies, Lieberman suggests, "we need partners. There are many other groups that understand what the scrap industry does and its importance to environmental quality. We need partners with everything we do--contacts in other groups who can help us make our points.

Making a National Commitment

In the late 1960s and early 1970s Lieberman served as national treasurer and second vice president of ISIS; because of a hearing problem, he did not run for first vice president. Recognizing the intelligence, interest, and dedication that Lieberman offered, however, the late Leon J. Coslov, then ISIS president, created a new position-special assistant to the president for environment and legislation. Lieberman served in that post for 16 years--from 1972 to 1988. During that time period he probably wrote and spoke more words about legislative and environmental matters than any other person associated with the scrap industry, authoring positions on recycling centers, abandoned autos, and federal tax incentives.

Yet during all his years with and achievements for ISIS, Lieberman says he is most proud of being named the first recipient of the E.J. "Zeke" Afram Award in 1982. The award was established in 1981 by the ISIS Board of Directors at the recommendation of the Chicago Chapter in honor of industry pioneer Zeke Afram, of Milwaukee.

For more than a half century Cal Lieberman has dedicated himself to the scrap processing and recycling industry. Although 50 years of service might be enough for some, this self-described “stubborn survivor” has no intention of bowing out now.

Lieberman entered the scrap industry in 1937, working for Kasle Iron & Metal Co. in Toledo, Ohio. Ten years later he formed his own company, Ace Steel Baling Inc., also of Toledo. Today he works as a legislative and environmental consultant for A. Edelstein & Son Inc., Toledo. But what Lieberman is probably best known for through his lengthy career is his dedication to fighting for fair legislation and regulation of the industry, something he continues to do today.

Lieberman chalked up his first of many legislative victories in the early 1950s, working on behalf of the Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel's (ISIS) Northern Ohio Chapter with then Chapter President Jack Levand (now of Levand Steel and Supply Corp., Los Angeles) to defeat an Ohio tag-and-hold proposal, complete with fingerprinting requirements. (ISIS was one of the predecessor associations of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries--ISRI.)

"What I recognized working on the tag-and-hold proposal," he recalls, "is that legislators didn't know anything about the scrap industry. When they don't understand what you do and how and why you do it, you have to do an educational job before you can get to the issue. The impact of the proposal on a scrap dealer’s business can be realized only if you know something about the business.” Unfortunately, he adds, “during the legislative session we found that lawmakers generally didn’t have time for industry primers. Their time is limited, so we had to work hard and fast to win.”

It was this experience that led Lieberman to set up the first ISIS chapter legislative committee in 1958 for the Northern Ohio Chapter. “I wanted a legislative committee at the chapter level to achieve credibility for the industry at the state level,” he says. The plan was a success and became a model for other ISIS chapters.

Setting Exemption Precedents

Lieberman's background in legislative lobbying traces to World War II, when he was made vice chairman of the first salvage drive in Toledo, a position that allowed him to get to know city officials. This involvement was a tremendous asset, he notes, when a city fencing ordinance was proposed a few years later. "I had established a relationship through service that allowed me the credibility to explain why scrap dealers should be exempt," he explains. "They knew about my plant and how it worked and understood the Toledo dealers' problem with the proposal." The result? "We were exempted," he says.

Lieberman found similar results in 1963, you have to do an educational job before when scrap processors were exempted from you can get to the issue. The impact of the Ohio's fencing legislation. That exemption was not only important for the industry in Ohio, but for every scrap processor in the United States. Just two years later, the Ohio precedent was the basis for the industry’s exemption from Lady Bird Johnson’s Highway Beautification Act of 1965. Without that exemption, the industry could have been devastated by the expense of plant relocations.

Liberman’s next victory for the industry came when his company decided to take on Ohio’s sales tax on cranes. The case was decided by the state Supreme Court in 1969 and was considered a landmark decision for the scrap industry--cranes used in plants were made exempt from sales tax. This precedent has been used throughout the country, saving untold dollars for the industry.

Pioneering the Scrap/Waste Distinction

Always a man of vision, it was back in 1958 that Lieberman decided to take a course in solid waste management offered by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (now the Department of Health and Human Services). He thought the issue of solid waste could well have an impact on the scrap industry. He was obviously right, but he didn't realize at the time just how frustrating this issue would be for the industry.

In the mid-1960s he found himself working with the city of Toledo on pollution control for burning autos prior to processing. This led him to study various environmental laws and regulations for ISIS and to become aware of solid waste problems that could become difficult situations for scrap processors.

During his decades of work for the industry, one of Lieberman's few frustrations has been the inability to get governments to establish a proper definition for solid waste. Is it a resource? Is it a pollutant? "We just don't have good definitions," he says. "We have yet to successfully divorce the scrap processing and recycling industry from the pollution problems of solid waste. Legislators at all levels of government seem to want to include us where we don't want to be and surely don't belong, " he continues. "Neither government officials nor the public is able to put recycling in its proper perspective."

Lieberman likely wouldn't feel so frustrated if he hadn't worked so hard on this effort. In 1974 he submitted testimony to the U.S. Senate's Committee on Public Works. Like much of his past work, many of his testimony points could easily be presented today:

"While hazardous wastes require severe regulations when the health and safety of the public is in jeopardy, such regulations have no application to recyclable, but nonhazardous, wastes."

"We suggest legislation that allows the marketplace and the laws of economics to operate as both a stimulant and a governor for a recycling system."

"Are we willing to accept the consequences when funding allows the establishment of centers throughout the country to produce a tremendous amount of recovered materials from collected wastes--materials which do not meet current specifications with expensive noneconomic processing, materials which have no home for consumption? This would merely be spinning very expensive wheels."

"There is such a demand for public funds today, that it is somewhat of a paradox to provide funds to establish recycling complexes if the economics do not warrant it and at the same time fail to make the economics viable."

Also in 1974, Lieberman represented the scrap industry at Henniker III, a week-long conference in which participants drafted proposals to the U.S. Congress on materials policy, with special emphasis on recycling. He also was appointed by Ohio's governor to serve on the state Solid Waste Management Advisory Committee.

During the 1970s, the issue of abandoned autos took a great deal of Lieberman's time. Like many of his efforts, this one paid off: The abandoned auto law he helped enact in Ohio became a model for the country. "It worked extremely well in Ohio," he says, "and we kept abandoned clunkers off the streets." Because of his expertise in this area, he was asked to participate with the Federal Bureau of Investigations in a national auto theft conference.

One legislative success totally unrelated to environmental concerns that Lieberman remembers with great pride is the battle he waged on workers' compensation insurance in Ohio. The result was a savings of millions of dollars for scrap processors in the state.

Balancing the Past With the Future

Cal Lieberman loves the scrap industry. He loves to talk about the industry and he loves to work for the industry. He says with pride and caring in his voice, "this industry is unique-people in the industry share, they cooperate, they care. There's a special feeling that you just don't get in other groups."

And while he enjoys reminiscing, Lieberman is quick to point out that "we can't live in the past. It does influence the future," he adds, "but you must look ahead."

In viewing the future, he says, environmental legislation must be a focal point. "Environmental laws such as Superfund are the most critical concerns we have today," he points out. "What can you do when a law passed now can reach back 40 or 50 years to the time you started in business?" he asks rhetorically. "With what's happening today, they can put you out of business tomorrow."

"And if they don't put you out of business with Superfund, they'll fund a recycling center to compete with you directly," he says. Therefore, Lieberman emphasizes, "federal- and state-funded systems to sort and process materials from the waste stream should be of concern to every scrap processor."

Although the issues are difficult, he feels that the industry can stay on top if ReMA members are active in their chapters and at the local level and if they communicate with their representatives in Congress.

"There is a need for lobbyists, but there is also a need for scrap processors to develop and maintain relationships with legislators and to support legislative activities statewide," he says. "We can't afford to depend on a few industry volunteers." He still stands behind his quote in the February 1, 1958, Waste Trade Journal: "Too often, scrap dealers are on the defensive when action is proposed by state or city legislators. ... I'm certain a good offense is better than the best defense."

He adds 32 years later: "I'm in favor of using a 2-by-4 more and more to get the attention of the mule."

In addition to the need for scrap recyclers to get involved in offensive strategies, Lieberman suggests, "we need partners. There are many other groups that understand what the scrap industry does and its importance to environmental quality. We need partners with everything we do--contacts in other groups who can help us make our points.

Making a National Commitment

In the late 1960s and early 1970s Lieberman served as national treasurer and second vice president of ISIS; because of a hearing problem, he did not run for first vice president. Recognizing the intelligence, interest, and dedication that Lieberman offered, however, the late Leon J. Coslov, then ISIS president, created a new position-special assistant to the president for environment and legislation. Lieberman served in that post for 16 years--from 1972 to 1988. During that time period he probably wrote and spoke more words about legislative and environmental matters than any other person associated with the scrap industry, authoring positions on recycling centers, abandoned autos, and federal tax incentives.

Yet during all his years with and achievements for ISIS, Lieberman says he is most proud of being named the first recipient of the E.J. "Zeke" Afram Award in 1982. The award was established in 1981 by the ISIS Board of Directors at the recommendation of the Chicago Chapter in honor of industry pioneer Zeke Afram, of Milwaukee.