Upstate Shredding-Weitsman sorting facility gets go-ahead from Owego Zoning Authority

By Paul Ploumis

ALBANY (Scrap Monster): Owego, New York-based Upstate Shredding-Weitsman Recycling has received approval from the Town of Owego Zoning Board of Appeals for construction of scrap metal sorting facility at its recently purchased Owego site. This follows a public hearing conducted Thursday night, which saw nearby residents raising concerns about the potential impacts of the proposed facility. The Town Zoning Board granted unanimous approval for the project, stating that Weitsman representatives were able to mitigate all fears expressed by neighbors.

The public hearing session lasted for almost an hour and a half and was attended by nearly 35 residents. The main concerns raised by residents were with regards to potential noise pollution and increase in traffic. The residents also voiced concerns that the large ticket facility would harm the small commercial and residential businesses currently operating in the region.

Adam Weitsman, company owner stated that the fears expressed by the residents were baseless. He assured that the proposed sorting facility will have zero impact on the neighborhood. The company would take all necessary steps to ensure that the project has minimal material impact on the neighborhood. Also, adjacent small businesses will not be affected, he added.

Weitsman made it clear that the company plans to install state-of-the-art soundproofing techniques within the building facility and with the fencing of the property. This will ensure that sound of operations at the facility will not be heard outside its boundary, he said. Allaying fears of potential rise in traffic, Weitsman pointed out that the facility will need to handle only five to ten trucks on a daily basis and that all operations will be contained within the property.

The facility is being built in the 3.5 acre former 84 Lumber site that the company had purchased earlier this year. The plant will be enclosed in a new 20,000 square foot building. The plant will include new technology that is being introduced in the US for the first time. The new technology will be capable of processing shredder-generated zorba in order to separate out aluminum from heavy metals such as copper, brass and zinc.

The installation of the new shredder equipment is expected to expand metal recycling operations at the recently purchased Owego site and is expected to cost around $7.5 million. Weitsman had held a formal ground breaking ceremony in October this year. The plant is expected to become fully operational by end-2016. Upon full operation, the plant is expected to create 25 new full-time jobs in the Southern Tier region.

The plant would employ advanced magnetic and sensor technology purchased from SGM Magnetics. The new system will be able to process up to 15 tons of zorba per hour which will be used to produce high quality commodities. The materials from the company’s shredder facilities in Owego and New Castle, Pennsylvania will be fed to the new plant.

About Upstate Shredding-Weitsman Recycling

Upstate Shredding-Weitsman Recycling is the largest privately held scrap metal processor on the East Coast, operating 18 locations throughout New York and Pennsylvania. The company has a number of locations in northeastern United States, including two facilities in both Owego and Ithaca, as well as locations in Binghamton, Brant, Jamestown, Hornell, Rochester, Syracuse, Watertown, Albany and Allegany, New York; and Scranton and New Castle, Pennsylvania. It is one of the top recycling companies of the world.