“Get out!” - Hundreds show up in opposition to proposed Whatcom County metal shredder
The Squalicum Boathouse was filled beyond its capacity Tuesday night as hundreds packed into a neighborhood meeting about the proposed metal shredder just outside of Bellingham city limits.
British Columbia-based ABC Recycling — the same company at the center of a controversy involving its metal recycling operation along Bellingham’s waterfront — hosted the meeting on Dec. 5 to discuss the details of the proposed metal shredding facility on Marine Drive and answer questions from the public.
The facility, which has received significant pushback from Bellingham residents over the last several months, processed post-consumer goods like de-polluted vehicles, old water tanks and washing machines. The shredded metal was then taken to the company’s shipping facility at the Port of Bellingham and shipped to various steel mills overseas to be remelted for future use into things including rebar, I-beams and sheet metal.
In a notice sent out about the meeting, ABC communications official Riley Sweeney said members of the public could “learn about how potential areas of concern will be addressed.”
So many people attended the meeting that the Boathouse standing room was full and people were spilling into the outside of the building.
“I’m grateful that there’s community interest in the project. That’s natural and to be expected. There’s something new coming to the neighborhood and people have concerns. Some of those are valid concerns,” Sweeney told The Bellingham Herald.
Much of what ABC Recycling representatives tried to say was drowned out by shouting members of the audience.
Attendees could be heard yelling “Get out!” and “We don’t want you here!”
Others chanted “No!” and “Don’t shred on Bellingham,” which is the slogan of ABC Recycling’s main local opposition group known as Save The Waterfront. The group has expressed concerns about the impacts of the proposed metal shredder and the existing waterfront recycling operation on public health and the environment.
Save The Waterfront founder Scott Jones helped spread the word about the informational meeting and was in attendance.
“It’s easy to get folks to come out when a problem is so big,” Jones told The Herald. “I’m proud of our community. I’m also scared for it.”
Sweeney said ABC Recycling wants to make sure everyone gets the information they need but hasn’t yet planned another community meeting.
“I’m grateful for the people who attended, asked thoughtful questions and listened to our answers,” Sweeney said. “We talked specifically to noise, emissions and truck traffic — the issues that people raise and that we will be addressing throughout the regulatory process.”
Sweeney said attendees who left email addresses will be contacted with more information.
ABC Recycling will also add the meeting recording and answers to unanswered questions on its website, Sweeney said.
This story was originally published December 5, 2023 at 10:15 PM.
