BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I’m Melissa Wright in downtown because a car shredder in south Omaha is prompting residents from all over to express concerns over what they say are potential health issues posed by the machine. Community members and an attorney joined the planning department on Wednesday to express concerns over U-Pull It, a body yard that has recently added a car shredder.
“They started operating without a permit they have utter contempt for the law they have no respect for the people of Omaha for the elected representatives or our ordinances.” said Tom White.
Tom White who represents these south Omaha activist says U-Pull It has been shredding cars without the proper permits from the city.
“You’re dumping industrial waste into our water ways, what are you going to do to stop it…we never had the opportunity to stop it before it was built… and now we have one the middle of our cities right in the middle of a recreational area," said White.
Car shredding is the operation of breaking down old cars into fine dust. According to White this work is not only spreading toxic chemicals but the company is also dumping it into the Papio Creek according to his drone footage.
“In Omaha we obey the law and we expect everyone to obey it," said White.
Teddy Morrison an activist who lives in north Omaha says auto shredding affects all the community not just south Omaha.
"It does affect me.. not just as a human being.. but as someone that drinks water… as somebody that breathes air.. these things are just contained within a small area.. they spread," said Morrison.
Morrison and others in this group say even if the company can get a permit to do shred cars they don't want it to continue because they believe it poses a pollution risk. I did reach out to U-Pull it but did not hear back. On Wednesday the planning board voted to lay over the request for U-Pull It. As of now the car shredder is not in operation due to them not complying with the proper permits.
