DJJ shredder yard to add sound barrier

Recycling company agrees to installation after neighbors complain of loud booms.

The River Metals Recycling (RMR) business unit of David J. Joseph Co. is reportedly building a sound barrier around its shredder yard in Newport, Kentucky.

According to an online report from WCPO-TV in Cincinnati, the barrier will be up to 44 feet high in some places and is being installed after neighboring property owners complained of “disruptive noise pollution,” including “loud explosions.”

Loud booms from metals shredding plants often are the result of sealed units such as propane tanks or vehicle gas tanks with remaining vapors creating conflagrations when they enter the shredding chamber.

A notice posted to the website of Newport City Manager Tom Fromme indicates RMR conducted a sound test earlier in August. “The test is intended to establish a baseline for the sound barrier that RMR is erecting,” the notice says in part.

The TV station indicates River Metals Recycling has already started building the sound barrier and quotes Fromme as saying, “River Metals has been working with the city [and has] expressed a sincere desire to be a valuable part of our community for many decades to come. The sound barrier development indicates their commitment to work with both the city and our residents.”

According to the same media report, earlier this year, the Newport City Commission was considering legislation that would have required industrial companies in Newport to self-monitor and report loud events, with fines issued to companies out of compliance.

Other news reports note that River Metals Recycling is the defendant in a class-action lawsuit that claims the plant is being negligent in allowing the explosions to occur, creating safety hazards and causing property values to drop nearby.

According to a report on Cincinnati.com, which sites the suit, the plant "failed to exercise ordinary care to assure that gasoline explosions do not occur." The lawsuit was introduced in Campbell County Circuit Court before being moved to federal court and then back to the county court again. The explosions "create noise that jeopardizes and degrades the quality of life," Cincinnati.com says the suit reads. 

When contacted by Recycling Today for more details about the barrier, Neal Coulardot, general manager of RMR, says, "We have no comment due to pending litigation."