As a resident in Bellingham or Whatcom County, I fully endorse the ongoing transition towards a sustainable future. Bellingham and Whatcom County’s shift away from heavy industrialization towards a cleaner, maritime-focused waterfront aligns with our vision for livability, secure employment, and environmental stewardship[1]. Embracing the proposed Waterfront Plan means replacing polluting industries with eco-friendly, high-paying alternatives, ensuring the well-being of our community and environment[2].

While I support the creation of living wage jobs and the recycling of metal and other materials, I strongly oppose the permitting of any new, potentially polluting industry on our waterfront or near residential neighborhoods or recovering ecosystems.

Whatcom County should deny the permitting, construction and operation of the proposed ABC Recycling metal shredding facility adjacent to the residential  neighborhoods of Alderwood, Marietta and Birchwood for the following reasons: 

• ∙ Metal shredders pose significant environmental and safety concerns: Materials  containing VOC’s and heavy metal contaminants are by-products of  metal shredding operations[3]. Air monitoring at other shredding facilities have  confirmed that these toxins are carried by prevailing winds[4], which in this case blow directly past the proposed shredder site into densely populated  neighborhoods and schools.
• ∙ Trucks disperse toxic dust and cause road damage: If not properly covered and routinely cleaned, trucks transporting shredded metal and after-products can disperse dust containing heavy metals and carcinogens along the truck route[5].  Heavy truck traffic will increase, creating traffic  congestion and causing damage to local roads.
• ∙ Noise Pollution: Metal shredders are dangerously loud, with metal being loaded, unloaded  and shredded[6]. ABC states that their hours of operation will be from 7am to  10pm, 7 days a week. The current Heavy Industrial zoning of the site allows 24/7 operation, and lacks any buffer zone to protect nearby neighborhoods, which  include schools, churches, and businesses.  Additionally the processing of the metal piles at the Port, both awaiting and during shipping, create unhealthy noise levels.
• ∙ Fires and Explosions: Small explosions and fires are common at existing metal  shredders, often happening on a weekly basis[7]. Larger fire events  (catastrophic fire) have occurred at metal shredders, as well as metal piles, releasing large plumes of  toxic black smoke, forcing neighbors indoors and coating gardens, cars and  buildings.

Community Cost and Damage: Our City and County should not have to shoulder the weight of:

• dangerous living conditions
• additional damage to the local environment
• escalated infrastructure expenses such as road repair and stormwater control,
• increased water and electricity usage,
• disposal of a significant amount of hazardous solid waste,
• further environmental clean-up
• diminished property values for overburdened neighborhoods, also leading to decreased tax revenue,

while gaining few employment opportunities with little investment in the community.

Footnotes may be found below the form.

Signed: We, the undersigned, strongly disagree with the placement of an industrial grade metal shredder anywhere near residential areas, as well as any heavy industrial activity at the Waterfront. We urge Whatcom County to take its citizens’ concerns and the expected environmental degradation into consideration and deny the permitting, construction and operation of the proposed  ABC Recycling metal shredding facility.