Back in January, a recycling company owner tried and failed to put a car shredder in Benton Township. Now, Randy Schlipp is trying to bring the same shredder to South Bend near Rum Village Park.

The shredder, Schlipp says, would be much smaller than the hugely unpopular “mega shredder” in Elkhart. Also, he says it would create jobs right away and 30 within a couple of years.

Still, the shredder won’t go on his Gertrude Street Metal Recycling Property unless the city approves it. A special exception would need to be granted by the Area Board of Zoning Appeals on Aug 4.

Neighbors are hoping that doesn’t happen.

Jim Parker owns 90 acres of land in the city’s southwest corner. On the edge of his land is Gertrude Street Metal Recycling.

"Right in the middle of the neighborhood is this cancer that we have,” said Parker. "All of a sudden, we're gonna take and put right in the middle of it, a shredder, it doesn't make any sense at all to me,” he added.

"We wanna stop it now because we don't wanna have the headaches that Elkhart had. Benton Township was smart enough to figure out that they didn't need it. Our biggest question is, why does the city of South Bend think this is a good idea?" said Parker.

The reason, says Randy Schlipp – who runs Randy’s Recycling in Eau Claire, Mich., as well as Gertrude Street Metal Recycling – is creating jobs during a tough economic time.

A similar pitch didn’t work back in January when Schlipp went before the Benton Township Planning Commission. In the meantime, Schlipp visited a similar shredder in Florida and took sound readings. The decibel levels, he says, are low enough that they won’t overtake the noise his scrap yard on Gertrude Street already makes.

Plus, he says, his shredder won’t butt up to homes like Elkhart’s shredder did.

"The mega shredder was 75 feet from houses, I think the closest one to me is a third of a mile away,” he said.

Still, that logic doesn't sit well with Jim Parker.

"We think it's ludicrous,” said Parker.

Schlipp says he wants to reach out to neighbors and show them the exact same shredder in Ohio. He plans a free bus trip – he won’t be in the bus, he said, and will instead drive separately – for anybody who wants to check it out.

He says he thinks folks will be pleasantly surprised at how quiet the shredder actually is. They are encouraged to contact him at 574-282-CARS.