County Council Meeting - Stand in Solidarity Against Metal Shredder

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.