A used tire processing plant is proposed at a former manufacturing business in Bowmanstown.

Last week, the Carbon County Planning Commission reviewed technical documents for an application to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection that Gabriel Rubber LLC and Civil & Environmental Consultants Inc. submitted for the proposed facility. No formal action was taken at the time.

The plant, if approved, would be located just off Route 248 at 700 Lehigh St. at the former Prince Manufacturing facility. The facility would utilize three existing buildings on the 5-acre plot. The site has been used for plastic recycling, hot air balloon guide and a welding and body shop.

DEP plans to conduct the technical review before taking any final action.

According to the application, the company plans to convert old tires into a commodity by shredding them into three different sizes, which could be used for alternative fuel at a cement or power plant, playground mulch or a rubber powder that could be mixed with asphalt or used to make new tires.

It would create between 20 and 30 jobs.

The project has already been approved by the borough zoning hearing board in November 2020 with the conditions that a separate permit would be required for any renovations and business occupancy prior to operations beginning; as well as several other conditions regarding operations.

Prior to the approval, Jacques Torkieh, general manager and president of Gabriel Rubber LLC, said that there would be three to five deliveries per day of tractor-trailer loads of tires. These deliveries would use state routes and not borough streets.

He also testified that during the shredding process, no heat would be used, meaning that no odor, dust or smoke would be produced.

Torkieh operates a facility like this already in New Jersey.

Residents at the time voiced their objections to the proposed plans, airing concerns of noise, dust, excessive traffic and byproducts of the shredded tires could become issues.

A local firefighter also spoke about how hard a shredded tire fire would be to extinguish if it occurs, citing that it would take approximately 1,000 gallons of water per minute for at least three hours.