A mainstay of the Waterbury industrial landscape for more than a century, scrap metal recycling business Albert Bros. this month marks its 125th year in business.
When Nathan and Lewis Albert first arrived in Waterbury in 1891 and started their own scrap metal yard in 1895, the word “recycling” didn’t exist, and the brothers built a company by collecting, peddling and trading scrap metal from wherever they could find it to whomever wanted to buy or trade for it.
As Waterbury became more industrialized into the 20th century, the city became a mid-sized manufacturing powerhouse and Albert Bros. thrived.
It’s remained a family affair even well into the company’s third calendar century. Nathan Albert’s oldest son, Sidney, joined the business in 1919. He became president of Albert Bros. in 1929. Sidney’s oldest son, Burt, entered the business in 1958 and ran it for more than half a century. The company expanded and moved to its present location on East Aurora Street in 1971.
In 1985 Burt’s son, Eric, today the company’s president, began working at Albert Bros., and his brother Jonathan joined the company five years later.
Burt Albert lived long enough to see his 26-year old grandson, Jake, join the family business a month before he died in May 2019. Jake marks the fifth generation in the Albert family in the business, which today markets itself as a “provider of professional scrap metal handling solutions.”
Today the metal-recycling industry as a whole is facing headwinds driven by the impact of tariffs and volatility in global markets, but Albert Bros. remains bullish about the future.
“Metal recycling is here to stay and we are passionate about its role in helping to conserve resources for future generations while making its communities better places to live and work in,” said Eric Albert in a statement. “And we are confident the company will continue to evolve to meet any new developments.”
Albert Bros. employs about 65 full-time workers, some of whom have worked there for decades. “We value our relationships with our employees, their families, and our customers. These relationships have been built on mutual trust and respect for one another,” added Jonathan Albert.
Also, the company is currently renovating an additional 10-acre, 130,000-square-foot facility located across East Aurora Street to accommodate its growth and efficiency initiatives. “Albert Bros. looks forward to operating a successful family business in Waterbury for at least an additional 125 years,” said Eric Albert.
Albert Bros. serves manufacturers across the U.S. and provides scrap metal materials to customers around the world.
