OWEGO, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – Upstate Shredding Weitsman Recycling is investing $15 million to mitigate the environmental impacts of its operations across New York and Pennsylvania.

The announcement comes following a consent decree with the Environmental Protection Agency in July in which the company was fined $400,000 for not being in compliance with newly enacted regulations.

The EPA wants Upstate Shredding in Owego to install equipment to capture volatile organic compounds, or VOC’s, that are released from car seats, tires and plastic when vehicles are shredded.

Owner Adam Weitsman says the technology to do so is still under development. About half of the $15 million will go toward capturing those emissions at the Owego shredder and one in New Castle, Pennsylvania. The remaining investment will go toward controlling water runoff at the shredder and all 12 of Weitsman’s scrap metal yards across the two states.

Weitsman says the Biden Administration’s EPA is holding the entire industry to the new standards and that his yards are the first to work toward compliance.

“Our facilities are some of the best in the nation. They’re concreted, they’re really beautiful. We have to raise our game again. It happens every five years the regs will change and get tougher so it’s our job to meet those regulations. I’d say we have a pretty good relationship with them because they know I’m working really hard here to make it happen,” said Weitsman.

To control water runoff, the facilities will be erecting berms, digging retention ponds, building water treatment facilities and covering some scrap. Weitsman says he using Delta Engineers for the design work and will employ local contractors from each yard’s community.