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Alpha Shredding presents plan to buy adjacent lot on Enterprise Avenue; council asks environmental and traffic questions
Summary
Alpha Shredding asked the council to approve acquisition of 299 Enterprise Ave to expand warehouse and move a rail siding; company representatives said catalytic converter processing would be dry, inside HEPA‑filtered space with no smelting, and that rail use should reduce truck trips; council requested follow‑up on permits and environmental controls.
Trenton — Alpha Shredding representatives told the City Council they want to buy the adjacent parcel at 299 Enterprise Avenue (appraised at about $450,000) to add a 30,000‑square‑foot warehouse, relocate a rail siding onto private property and reduce truck traffic on Enterprise Avenue.
Attorney Arnold Lake said Alpha Shredding operates at 301 Enterprise Avenue, employs about 80 people (most Trenton residents), and has operated as a metal recycler at that corridor since March 2020 and — historically — since the 1950s under prior ownership. He said the company previously had redevelopment designation that lapsed while it completed permitting.
Environmental consultant Kenneth L. Woodruff described the proposed processing for catalytic converters: staff would open canisters, remove the honeycomb substrate containing platinum‑group metals, repackage the dry material into 55‑gallon drums, and ship it to a refinery; he emphasized there would be no on‑site smelting, no chemical processing and that HEPA filtration would control dust.
"We do no melting, no smelting," Woodruff said. "The only thing potentially generated is a little bit of dust, but that is all controlled inside the building with HEPA filters." (Speaker list: Kenneth L. Woodruff.)
Vice President Williams pressed company representatives on environmental safeguards, truck trip frequency and whether Alpha would purchase catalytic converters from individuals. Lake and Woodruff said operations would be low‑volume (an estimated handful of trucks per day), the rail siding would reduce truck movements, and Alpha would not accept converters brought in by unlicensed individuals — only from licensed auto facilities.
Company representatives said they already hold environmental permits for the current location and would secure any additional permits required for the expanded site if council approves acquisition and staff confirm land‑use approvals. Lake said the city had approved an appraisal and the company would fund rail improvements on private property.
What's next: Alpha asked council to take up a resolution authorizing the acquisition; the presentation was recorded on the meeting record and staff said they would schedule any vote once outstanding zoning or permit matters were confirmed.
