Last year, insurance provider State Farm announced a 293% increase nationwide in catalytic converter theft claims and that they paid out more than $33.7 million in automotive claims resulting from those thefts between July 2020-21, according to a press release.

PGM of Texas, a national company that specializes in catalytic converter recycling, will host a tour of its San Marcos facility March 9 at 10 a.m., and officials will demonstrate how they source and recycle the precious metals used inside car exhaust systems that scrub vehicle emissions, and how localities can combat the increasingly common property crime.

PGM of Texas CEO Allen Hickman will be joined by Art Acevedo, the former Austin, Houston and Miami police chief, who recently partnered with the company to help educate and train local law enforcement on the issue.

Doug Seliger, the marketing director for PGM of Texas, said in a press release that the black market value of essential metals needed to manufacture catalytic converters is driven by limited sourcing and high demand as platinum and other metals used in converters are mined primarily in Russia and South Africa.

“The metals we ethically rescue from the waste stream re-enter people’s lives in the form of cancer treatments, computer chips, dental appliances and more. Our work is too important to be sidetracked by a few bad actors,” Hickman said.