A Legacy of Seeing Value

American Recycling was founded by Seattle Iron & Metals in 1972, carrying forward a legacy that began in 1922 with a simple belief:

Value is often found where others fail to look.

Long before recycling became a movement, we recognized that discarded materials still had a  purpose.

What some saw as waste, we saw as an opportunity.

 

That belief has carried us through more than a century of history. During some of our nation's most defining moments, the materials recovered through our yards helped supply the industries and infrastructure that communities depended on. It's a legacy of service that continues today.

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In 1972, that legacy expanded east when American Recycling opened in Spokane to serve the Inland Northwest. Today, we are proud to carry that same spirit of stewardship, ingenuity, and service forward.

 

Because recycling has never been just about metal. 

It's about having the vision to recognize that value doesn't disappear when something is discarded. 

 

It can be recovered, renewed, and reimagined.

Yesterday's scrap can become tomorrow's opportunity. 

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What arrives as discarded metal can become rebar in a building, steel in a bridge, or the raw materials that help build the communities and industries of tomorrow.

Whether you’re bringing in a few cans or managing tons of industrial material, you’re part of something bigger than a transaction. A legacy of stewardship. A legacy of resourcefulness. A legacy of seeing value where others might not.

 

For over 100 years, we’ve helped people see that value.

And here in Spokane, we're proud to continue writing the next chapter of that legacy every day at American Recycling.