UXO At Metal Recycling Facilities - An International Problem

UXO has been turning up at metal recycling facilities for many years at sites all across the world. The rising cost of metals and other materials has only made the problem worse by increasing the temptation for people to steal munitions from range areas in an attempt to make a quick profit. The latest incident occurred in Manila, Philippines where 47 WII era bombs were recovered by authorities from a metal recycler in Caloocan City.

The items recovered ranged in size from 37mm to 155mm projectiles including projectiles with live HE fillers. Members of the EOD team based in Camp Crame rendered the UXO safe and transported the items to a range on the installation for proper disposal.

The owner of the metal recycling facility was the one who initially reported the find to the police. The items were co-mingled with other scrap metal that was brought to the facility by a scrap collector. Authorities are trying to locate that collector but without detailed records of the transaction, they may find it difficult to pinpoint the culprit.

The problem seems to be a repeat one as the same recycler turned over almost 60 UXO items to authorities last month as well. The owner of the metal recycling facility is not being investigated, as he is the one who reported the UXO finds and is assisting police in their attempts to identify the persons responsible.