The weathered brick façade of Leder Bros. Scrap Metal Recycling reflects a century of small-scale industrial life in north Minneapolis. Faded hand-painted lettering and a rusting mid-century sign mark the receiving entrance for what was once a busy recycling yard, a place where scrap from the city’s rail lines and factories found new purpose. The combination of concrete block, yellow brick, and glass block windows speaks to a utilitarian design typical of the post-war industrial boom. Today, its aging surfaces and surveillance cameras evoke a district in transition, where traces of heavy industry linger amid redevelopment and adaptive reuse.

A massive cube of crushed aluminum cans stands ready for processing at K&K Metal Recycling in Minneapolis. The dense block, held together by steel wires, contains thousands of cans—each once part of the city’s daily consumption cycle. Aluminum is among the most efficiently recycled materials, requiring only a fraction of the energy needed to produce new metal. Facilities like K&K play a vital role in returning this material to circulation, turning everyday waste into reusable industrial feedstock.

Stacks of discarded Minnesota license plates sit ready for recycling at K&K Metals in Minneapolis. The familiar “10,000 Lakes” slogan and blue gradient design peek through layers of grime and bent aluminum, remnants of years of use on the road. Facilities like this one reclaim the aluminum from expired or damaged plates, melting it down for reuse—part of a statewide effort to reduce waste and recover valuable materials from the transportation system.

Man working on a water tank for the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center.