DECEMBER 1, 2023
Bellingham Metal Shredder Meeting and Information
Media contacts: Scott Jones (bellingham@savethewaterfront.org)
ABC Recycling (ABC), the British Columbia-based company that has been disturbing Bellingham neighborhoods, and the environment, by operating a heavy industrial scrap metal storage, loading and shipping facility at the Bellingham Waterfront, has purchased a 19 acre parcel adjacent to the Bellingham City limits where it intends to operate an industrial-scale metal shredder.
The neighborhoods near the proposed shredder organized a public meeting in September at a local elementary school, attended by more than 200 concerned residents. ABC has now called a public meeting at 6:30 pm on December 5, a night the County Council meets. This is its first public-facing informational effort in the more than 3 years it has been planning to use Bellingham as the center of its goal to become one of the top 20 largest shredding companies in North America. The Squalicum Boathouse venue holds only 130 people, leading the community to conclude that ABC continues to have little interest in actual community engagement.
ABC has recently filed permit applications to build an industrial scale shredder with the Whatcom County Planning and Development Services office. Whatcom County has determined that application to be incomplete, so far, missing a variety of engineering, HVAC, structural and utilities planning documents. Because of the well-documented history of metal shredders emitting toxic air pollutants, having fires, creating toxic dust and smoke, operational noise, and increasing truck traffic on city and county roads, Bellingham residents are concerned about its extreme proximity to residences, schools and daycare facilities. As well, whether the relevant regulatory agencies are ready to properly condition all aspects of the operations and enforce any permit conditions that ABC violates, at the peril of residents and the environment.
End of life vehicles and appliances, from Canada and Washington would be trucked in, shredded and trucked to the Bellingham Waterfront, where it will join the 3 story tall piles of scrap metal there awaiting shipment on ocean-going bulk freighters. That loading process has taken anywhere from 8-10 days, and the nearly nonstop sounds of crashing metal being dropped into the ship goes on for 21 hours a day, from 6:30am through 3:30am in the morning. The metal is stockpiled on part of the Port’s property that used to be the GP papermill site that the community has spent millions of dollars, and years trying to clean up and develop into a pedestrian and family friendly mixed-use area; protective of local treaty-protected and commercial fisheries and jobs in marine trades. Residents believe the presence of the massive scrap piles and the possibly toxic dust raised by the loading process directly over the waterway cleanup area are a complete breach of the community trust in the planning process for redevelopment of the GP property.
Save the Waterfront has collected more than 1200 signatures in opposition to the shredder and more in opposition to the continued round-the clock scrap metal operations on the waterfront.
Location: Squalicum Boathouse – 2600 N Harbor Loop Drive
Date: December 5th Time: 6:30pm Early Arrival is Recommended
Further Information: www.savethewaterfront.org | https://www.facebook.com/bellingham.savethewaterfront
