Upstate Shredding Purchases Land for Scrap Yard in Scranton, Pa.

Upstate Shredding - Ben Weitsman has announced that it has acquired land to build a new scrap metal processing facility in Scranton, Pa. The new location will be named Ben Weitsman of Scranton. The plant is scheduled to be operational by June 1, 2011.

In a release, Adam Weitsman, president of Upstate-Ben Weitsman, says, “For 10-years, we have been looking for opportunities to expand our business into Scranton. Over those years we evaluated a number of acquisition candidates, but none ever materialized. Now we’ve acquired land and are proceeding to construct what will be the finest, most modern scrap metal processing facility in the Scranton area.”

“Getting our business into the Scranton has been a high priority for our company, and we are elated to culminate our plan. Scranton is a dynamic, growing market, and our new facility there will be a significant addition to our network of New York and Pennsylvania feeder yards and our mega-shredder operations. Bringing new industry and jobs into Scranton also feels great. The area’s in an economic upswing, and we are looking forward to giving back to the community,” Weitsman adds.

The new facility will serve both retail and wholesale customers. The company notes that the location will serve a 120-mile radius area with metal collections via a new trucking fleet and roll-off containers. The facility will be used as a feeder yard for Upstate’s shredders in Owego and Rochester, N.Y. The new facility will have some equipment on the site, but will be performing only minimal processing.

The company says that the Scranton facility will meet the highest safety, water and air quality standards.

The Scranton location is the latest in a series of expansions for Upstate Shredding. In February, Upstate purchased Genesee Scrap, Rochester, N.Y., in an all cash transaction. That location is currently undergoing a renovation, including the installation of a new, 10,000 hp Riverside Engineering mega-shredder and a downstream nonferrous metal separation system.

In January, the company acquired Brenner Recycling of Hazleton, Pa. Since last December it has acquired scrap metal companies in Syracuse, Jamestown and Liberty, N.Y., and in Towanda, Pa., to add to its operations in Binghamton, Ithaca and two locations in Owego, N.Y.

The company adds that it expects to announce another acquisition in the Albany, N.Y., area in the near future.