Metal Shredder - Information - Save The Waterfront

Information

ABC Metal Shredder - Proposed Industrial Shredder on Marine Drive

ABC, the British Columbia scrap metal recycling company which has been the subject of noise complaints at the Port of Bellingham’s shipping terminal, is planning to expand its operations along Bellingham Bay on Marine Drive by building an industrial metal shredding facility. ABC signed a long-term lease agreement with the Port of Bellingham to utilize the waterfront’s deep-sea water port, enabling ABC to move into the deep-sea bulk dry vessel market for ferrous scrap material and hopes to get their shredder operational in 2024.

We do not know the proposed size of the shredder, the volume of material it may process, whether it will be contained in a sound-proofed building, what noise and pollution control measures will be taken, what route trucks will use to bring materials to the shredder and to the waterfront location in Bellingham, or the proposed hours of operation. ABC Recycling officials have not commented on any details.

The industrial shredding location is on Bellingham Bay, between Locust and Little Squalicum Beaches. The area is within a heavily populated residential area, including Alderwood, Chartwell, Marietta and Birchwood. The shredder is located inside the Urban Growth Area. In addition, the residential areas concerned about the ongoing waterfront shipping by this company will also be affected since a shredder will increase the volume of materials that can be shipped from the Port of Bellingham, adding even more noise and dust to that location.

Industrial scrap metal shredders come in various sizes and are used to reduce large metal objects such as automobiles into smaller, more manageable and transportable pieces. Using a variety of processes from hammering to cutting, the shredding process breaks down metal and sorts it. The specific impacts from the proposed ABC Metal Shredder are currently unknown, but, a shredding facility would expand the company’s ability to recycle more scrap metal, and would most likely bring disruptive noise to adjacent neighborhoods. Across the country, the public is generally very opposed to metal shredders that threaten nearby communities and industries’ compliance with clean air and noise requirements are shaky at best.

Bellingham is growing and the more affordable areas of North Bellingham will see the most growth in the future. These neighborhoods are lower income and more racially diverse than other, wealthier Bellingham neighborhoods. All too frequently, this kind of development gets located in such neighborhoods. According to the EPA, “noncompliant shredders can have an impact on overburdened communities”.

Megan Cunningham, managing deputy commissioner of the Chicago’s public health department, said that a comprehensive analysis of the health and environmental factors of three neighborhoods, East Side, Hegewisch and South Deering, persuaded Chicago officials to reject an application to open a car and scrap metal shredding facility on East 116th Street along the Calumet River. Cunningham added that city officials were concerned about the “inherent risk” that large scrap metal operations posed, including potential explosions. “Our goal is to protect and promote public health. A permit is only as strong as a company’s willingness to abide by it,” Cunningham said. * This application is still in litigation

In May 2021, EPA Administrator Michael Regan, appointed by President Joe Biden, recommended a health impact analysis for metal shredders, specifically volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Significant amounts of non-metal materials, such as plastics, paints, caulks, sealants, rubber, switches, fluids, and fluid residues, are contained in the shredded materials and can vaporize. The process of grinding and shredding scrap metal generates heat, resulting in residual fluids and fuels becoming gases. The violent nature of the process creates the potential for particulate matter emissions of various sizes, generating emissions of toxic levels of VOCs.

Other air pollutants released into the air include lead, zinc, cadmium and mercury. It is documented that metal shredders emit heavy metal contamination around their facilities. Heavy metal toxicity causes increased risks of cancer, lowered immune system functioning and neurological degenerative processes. Prevailing winds along Marine Drive blow predominantly North from the shredding site into residential neighborhoods.

The Marine Drive facility is located in the Urban Growth Area (UGA). Residents propose the Marine Drive property zoning be changed from heavy industrial; increasing public access and expanding recreational, civic and local business opportunities along Bellingham Bay. The city has made significant investments on the waterfront in downtown Bellingham and the Port’s decision to sign a long term contract with ABC goes against that hard work and vision to date.

What can you do?!

Write your representatives and voice your concerns about the proposed metal shredder.

Whatcom County

County Executive Satpal Sidhu

311 Grand Ave., Suite 108, Bellingham, WA 98225

Phone—360-778-5200

Email–ssidhu@co.whatcom.wa.us

Whatcom County Council

311 Grand Ave., Suite 105, Bellingham, WA 98225

Phone—360-778-5010

Email—council@co.whatcom.wa.us

Bellingham