BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Port of Bellingham commissioners have voted to end their contract with ABC Recycling.

The commissioners took the action at a special meeting on Monday afternoon following some emotional public comments. The Port of Bellingham gave ABC Recycling a notice of default late last month, stating that the recycling company had 30 days to comply with multiple violations of their lease. That deadline was last Thursday.

ABC’s violations include berthing a ship in an unauthorized location without permission as well as repeatedly violating Department of Ecology regulations.

The lease termination will take effect on Sept. 30, 2024. The Port of Bellingham is not offering an option to renew.

ABC Recycling will have to have all scrap metal piles removed from the downtown Bellingham waterfront by June 30 or face a fine of $1000 per day. The company will also have to vacate their offices in Bellingham by Oct. 31.

The scrap metal operation at the Port of Bellingham’s shipping terminal and its plans to build a metal shredder just west of the city have drawn strong opposition from many people in the community. Port of Bellingham commissioners stressed at the meeting that the shredder plan had no bearing on this action against ABC.