Metal recycling plant in Watts near high school shut down for now. Will it close forever?

After years of documented history of environmental and safety violations, S&W Atlas Iron & Metal Co., the metal recycling plant operating next to a Watts high school campus, has finally been ordered to halt operations and immediately cease all activities.

On Monday, a Los Angeles County Superior Court prohibited Atlas Metals from receiving or processing any new materials. The judge's orders came days after the plant’s owners, Matthew and Gary Weisenberg, were taken into custody due to their violation of a court-ordered release conditions and ongoing threats to public safety found during an inspection. 

During a March 6, 2025, inspection, officials from the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) discovered four acetylene gas cylinders and one CO2 cylinder at the Atlas Metals facility. These materials had been explicitly prohibited by a prior court order set at their September 26, 2024 arraignment. 

The presence of these canisters is a clear violation of the court's terms and a continuous threat to public safety for the thousands of students at Jordan High School, which has more than 500 students and is composed of 81.5% Latino students and 15.8% African American students. Acetylene is a highly flammable gas that poses a serious risk of explosion. 

“ We're seeing one of many persistent bad actors that's finally facing real consequences for their continued exposure and their continued polluting of the neighborhood,” Thelmy Alvarez, a volunteer with the Better Watts Initiative and former director of climate with the Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC), told CALO News. “ On Thursday, I was in court when the two owners were handcuffed and walked out of the court. I was in disbelief because, after so many years of a facility harming the community, to see its owners finally have to take in some consequences—that's a huge win for the community and for the parents of students who have no other choice but to send their children to that school.”

“Environmental criminals” is what many students and community advocates are calling the plant, which has been a neighbor of the school since 1943. Since then, S&W Atlas Iron & Metal Co. has been subject to numerous complaints and criticism for what many advocates say is the disposal of hazardous waste kept within the premises of the plant.

“This is unprecedented in the history of Watts,” said Tim Watkins, chief executive officer of WLCAC. “This is the first time the community has challenged a polluter and won. The writing is on the wall for environmental criminals in our community, and we’re looking ahead to a cleaner and healthier future for the children of Watts.”

The plant has a long history of multiple lawsuits, complaints and orders from school districts, the city and even the state. Despite this, this is the first time the plant has been forced to close, leaving many Watts residents wondering why it took so long.  

CALÒ News began reporting on the plant last year when an August 12th explosion occurred inside the facility. On that day, which also happened to be the first day of the school year for Jordan High School, LAUSD personnel reported the explosion.

Complaints and lawsuits, however, go back further.

On June 21, 2023, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón filed 22 felonies and two misdemeanor counts against the plant and its owners, the father and son duo. 

Part of the counts allege that the company is knowingly disposing of hazardous waste such as nickel, zinc and copper without a permit and on the premises of the LAUSD school. It was said that students were also being subjected to lead contamination, as well as hazardous smells, sounds and debris that often fly onto the school campus.

Before that in 2020, LAUSD also filed a lawsuit against S&W Atlas Iron & Metal Co., which stated that there have been "multiple incidents at Atlas that could have resulted in an environmental and human disaster," beginning as early as May 2002. 

The lawsuit also mentioned contaminated stormwater, hazardous chemicals and stockpiling of "wrecked or dismantled vehicles, salvage, junk, and/or other materials and wastes at heights that greatly exceed the height of the retaining wall separating the Atlas Site from the school."

Less than a year after that lawsuit, in March 2021, the Department of Toxic Substances Control, a California department charged with safeguarding Californians from the harmful effects of chemicals, ordered the plant to immediately stop releasing dangerous pollution that may be contaminating the Watts neighborhood of South L.A.

Before this official order, the department had previously served the plant with three notices of violations of state hazardous waste laws. 

“For years, Atlas Metals has put our community at risk without a second thought. Today, the judge showed them that they are not above the law,” Genesis Cruz, a former student at Jordan High School, said. “No more business as usual. Watts has paid the price for their greed for too long, and this decision shows that their days of running unchecked are coming to an end.”

Over the years, Watts, a neighborhood where people of color make up the majority of the population, has been vulnerable to a hazardous and poisonous environment. The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, on behalf of the California Environmental Protection Agency, updated their CalEnviroScreen, which showed that the Watts neighborhood is identified as disproportionately burdened by multiple sources of pollution. Watts is also known for having a high level of lead in their water. 

Last year, Mayor Karen Bass called for tap water testing in HACLA housing units in Watts. This happened after a study by the Better Watts Initiative detected lead in some water samples taken from single-family homes and public housing units in Watts. The finding revealed that 67% of the test results have come back from samples taken from 1,261 units. Out of those samples, 40% came back with some type of lead detection in kitchen faucets. 

“ Young people, they should  have the same rights as everybody else. Should they, because of the color of the skin or the language that's spoken at home, not have access to clean air to breathe at school?” Alvarez said.   

Alvarez said that the work to permanently shut down the plant continues. “This is only a temporary ceasefire and we need more,” she said. “While today’s ruling effectively halts Atlas Metals’ operations, community members and advocates continue to push for permanent closure of the facility. There's still a long way to go. We are not done until this facility leaves this community. I'm sure there are other places, but the fact of the matter is that they never should have existed next to a high school.”

L.A. Superior Court Judge Terry Bork set bail for Matthew Weissenberg at $1 million and for his father, Gary Weissenberg, at $100,000. Matthew Weissenberg remains in custody.  The court also ordered Atlas to submit to weekly inspections by DTSC.  Atlas Metals will be back in court on March 28.