BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – ABC Recycling’s waterfront shipping operation in Bellingham may be in jeopardy.

Last week, the Port of Bellingham notified ABC they are in default of their lease for not meeting lease requirements. According to the Port’s Mike Hogan, the Canada-based recycling company is not following protocols intended to maintain the highest levels of environmental protection.

ABC’s spokesperson Riley Sweeney says they rent a portion of the city’s shipping terminal to store and ship out scrap and recycled metal.

The notice was triggered by the company docking a barge full of recycled metal at the terminal without notifying the Port on Feb. 16. The barge was also berthed in an unauthorized location. It came from ABC’s facility in Nanaimo and was towed down to Seattle shortly after the Port received word of its arrival.

In addition to this infraction, ABC also exceeded the state Department of Ecology’s stormwater benchmarks, and the company has not properly addressed that situation.

Sweeney says ABC is working on a variety of projects to get back into compliance with both the Port and the Dept. of Ecology. He says that most of their stormwater contamination occurs from sediment and dirt on haul truck tires traveling to and from the recycled material pile and the terminal. According to Sweeney, they are paving a path for these trucks, which will make it easier to clean the area.

“We also installed quarry fallings, which is a fancy way of saying ‘big rocks’ right at the entrance,” Sweeney said. “So, the trucks drive over the rocks and they rumble rumble rumble… Shake off all the sediment.” ABC is also employing rumble strips and wheel wash stations for the same purposes.

ABC has until March 22 to comply, and Sweeney does not expect any issues with meeting this deadline.

The ongoing issues at the port will not impact the applications already sent in for building the metal-shredding facility at ABC’s property on Marine Drive.