`Noah Roberts

In 1895, Louis Lipsitz began a small recycling business on Bridge Street. The business had a humble start, beginning off by buying and selling scrap copper, iron, brass, rubber, glass and animal hides and bones. Over time his business started to grow expanding to different and bigger materials, while at home him and his wife started to raise a family. Eventually in 1933 Melvin Lipsitz, Louis’s son, joined his father and they relocated their business to the corner of Franklin and First Street in downtown Waco. Melvin married Thelma Sheff in 1935 ,and for fifteen years they worked together in the business as their family grew. They had a son Melvin Jr. and a daughter Lynn.

The original Louis Lipshitz building (Before name change)

The early Lipsitz and Co. factory would take tons and tons of scrap metal, including junk cars, and use it to make new steel. The industry expanded to be so big to where the new steel produced from the scrap in Waco could end up anywhere from Chicago to Mexico. The industry at this point in 1959 was worth almost $2 billion dollars. Being one of the oldest and largest scrap processors in the southwest, M. Lipsitz Co. had a very big impact on this huge industry.

Lipsitz junkyard cars waiting to be shredded

Because of how large their company was, Melvin and Thelma Lipsitz played large roles in the Industry’s affiliated committees. In 1959, Melvin Sr was the vice president and director of the Gulf Coast Chapter of the National Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel. He had also been named the chairman of traffic transportation for the chapter. He would eventually become the president and chairman of the Gulf Coast Chapter. Thelma Lipsitz was the first woman named Panel Vice Chairman of the convention by the Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel Inc National Trade Associations of the iron and steel scrap industry. This resulted in her being placed on the board of directors for the association. Thelma Lipsitz was also involved in multiple outside organizations. She was elected president of Sisterhood of Temple Rodef Sholom, and was the founder and president of the Progressive club, which held meetings and meals in their home.

Eventually, in 1969, Melvin Lipsitz Sr died. His partner, John Salome, took over management of the company and bought half of it, which he still owns today. Melvin Jr became the vice president of the company while Thelma continued to help out in different ways with the business side of the company.

Melvin Lipsitz Senior (Center) standing with other Scrap Metal Executives

In the 1970s, M. Lipsitz and Co. took more initiative in the clean up of Waco. When there were disasters or fires they would be there helping clean the area and would salvage any materials. They would also provide industries with huge containers which gave the companies a permanent place to keep their metal waste. This was able to reduce pollution as well as provide them with more metal scrap.

In April of 1975, they were approved for a zone change to move to a 3.5-acre industrial building in Elm. They got a car shredder as a part of the city beautification program. Using this they were rapidly eliminating unsightly land pollution in Central Texas.

Car being shredded in the M. Lipsitz Co. shredder

This car shredder was a newer technology and was a big help for Waco. This new machine was able to shred a car in 40 seconds which allowed them to shred around 400 cars a day. Tom Salome, the general manager, said it was one of the most modern and cleanest ways to recycle the metal scrap.

Employees look at the companies new car shredder in the scrap processing facility

However, in 1979 the Lipsitz company was held liable for PCB runoff poisoning the water. PCB-contaminated oils from newly purchased electric transformers had soaked parts of the Lipsitz work cite and the rain water was carrying run off into Lake Brazos. Legal action was taken and they were forced to come up with a plan of how they were going to remove the contaminated soil since the effects of PCB can lead to cancer. The companies who sold the transformers to Lipsitz were also held liable for the contamination, since the M. Lipsitz was not intentionally buying contaminated transformers. It took a couple of years for them to recover, but the clean up was complete and the work cite was safe by 1981.

In 1982, the M. Lipsitz company revamped their recycling initiative and proposed another idea to help clean up Waco. They teamed up with Anheuser Busch to encourage the public to start recycling cans instead of throwing them away or polluting the city with litter. They proposed that both individuals and companies would receive 20 cents per pound of cans returned to the M. Lipsitz Co. Again, this program was able to benefit both parties. M. Lipstiz would receive more metals to be able to reuse, and the city had less garbage lying around. The program went on to be so successful that in 1988 Melvin Lipsitz Jr and Anheuser Busch received the Independent Eagle Award in recognition of their efforts.

The M. Lipsitz company has continued to lead recycling efforts in Waco over the past couple of decades by encouraging events like Earth day and Recycling Day. The M. Lipsitz company continued to expand and now has 10 different locations throughout Texas and Oklahoma. It is still run by Tom Salome and Melvin Lipsitz Jr at their location on Elm street in Waco.

Brenda Sheppard reminisces of a time when the Lipsitz can recycling initiative was able to impact a homeless member of the community in a positive way. 43:22 – 44:32

Bobby Eugene Hopper reflects on the duties of his job at the Lipsitz company before his time serving in the Air Force.

Works Cited

Lester, Marla Pierson. “Brenda Sheppard Oral History Memoir.” Baylor University Institute for Oral History 13 May 2003.

Downes, Terry. “Bobby Eugene Hopper Oral History Memoir.” Baylor University Institute for Oral History 1 May 2014.

“Mrs. Lipstiz Named Panel Vice Chairman” The Waco News Tribune [Waco] March 30, 1958 Published: Page 22

“M. Lipsitz & Co, LTD.” M. Lipsitz & Co, LTD, www.mlipsitzco.com/.

“Horse Drawn Engine to Be Returned to Firemen.” The Waco News Tribune [Waco] Date Month Year Published: Page(s).

“Thelma To Wed Waco Man In The Near Future” The Waco News Tribune [Waco] September 24, 1952: Page 22.

“Bert Lipsitz and Daughter Return Home.” The Waco News Tribune [Waco] January 06, 1935: Page 14.

“Squeezed Sent to Mail.” Waco Tribune Herald [Waco] September, 1957: Page 12.

“Recycling Scrap Metal And Trash Resources” Waco Tribune Herald [Waco] April 02, 1974 : Page 34.

Baldwin, Helen ” The Personal Touch” The Waco News Tribune [Waco] February 24, 1957 Published: Page 25

“Scrap Iron and Steel Group Elects Lipsitz” Waco Tribune Herald [Waco] July 02, 1961 : Page 12.

“Recycling Scrap Metal And Trash Resources” Waco Tribune Herald [Waco] April 02, 1974 : Page 34.