[3] In February 1988, Sims entered the US scrap recycling market through the acquisition of LMC Corporation, located in the state of California.

[4] In 1990, Carter Holt Harvey made a successful takeover bid for Elders Resources NZFP Limited and divested that company's non-forestry businesses, which included Sims.

[3] In August 1992, Sims expanded its presence in New Zealand through the merger of its business there with the ferrous recycling operations owned by Pacific Steel Industries, a Fletcher Building company.

In April 2000, Sims acquired Phillip Services (Europe) Limited in the UK, which significantly increased its presence in that market.

The acquisition was designed to strengthen Sims' position in the North American scrap recycling market, increase the opportunity to be a supplier of raw materials to US steel mills, and expand its presence in non-ferrous products.

Ferrous metal is processed for resale using a variety of methods, including sorting, shredding, cutting, torching, baling or breaking.

[13] Sims Metal Management today has over 130 physical operations in North America, 57 in Australasia, and more than 37 locations in the United Kingdom and Continental Europe.

Additionally, SRS offers business-to-business IT and electronic equipment asset management and recovery service that operates across a global network.

[15] SRS has 42 facilities operating globally offering a range of services including the collection, refurbishment and re-sale of working equipment, parts recovery for resale, mechanized testing and processing of monitors, mechanical recycling of e-recycling and secondary smelting and refining of high grade electronics by-product materials.

[16] Sims recycling facilities in the UK specialize in fragmenting domestic and commercial fridges, as well IT asset management solutions.

[19] Under this contract, the company is responsible for all curb-side recycling material, including all plastic, glass and metal on behalf of the City of New York.

SMR worked with geotechnical engineers to develop structural fill blends using "mole rock" from NYC tunneling projects mixed with recycled glass aggregate (RGA).