NAPLES, Fla. — A Naples business is growing increasingly frustrated, claiming that dust and debris from a nearby waste plant continues to blow onto their property, despite numerous complaints and follow-ups with the county.
Jared Scott, the owner of Naples Body and Fender, says the problem has been going on for months and is affecting his employees and customers. “I guess they just really can’t control all of it,” Scott said. “It ends up peppering the parking lot and the cars. It just turns into a mess,” he added.
Scott showed blankets of dust covering vehicles at his shop on Wednesday, saying the debris routinely blows over from the Coastal Waste & Recycling facility across the street.
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Scott says the additional cleaning is burdensome and frustrating for his business. “The stuff just floats in the air, it gets on everything, and it just becomes a nuisance,” Scott explained.
Collier County issued a notice of violation to the waste facility in May for the "unauthorized accumulation of litter". According to the county, there have been 10 code enforcement cases related to the facility. However, Scott says the issues remain unresolved.
“They [the county] have been responsive when we make complaints, but when we go out, they tell us they’re in compliance,” Scott said. “When we visit, they say they’re doing what they’re supposed to do. But when we question why it’s still getting out of their area, they don’t have answers,” he explained.
Coastal Waste & Recycling, the company overseeing the Southwest Waste recycling facility, says it follows strict standards and complies with all local regulations. The two waste management companies merged in October.
In a statement, a representative for the company said, “We take issue with being singled out in an industrial park with other industrial businesses, especially when we are operating under very strict controls that are monitored regularly."
"Following the acquisition of the business, we performed a full remodel and upgrade of the facility, which included the installation of a best-in-class recycling system, 40-foot high dust screens, water misting systems, a water cannon, and screen enclosures on the operating lines. Additionally, we run a street sweeper on our property and around the neighborhood to assist with maintaining appropriate conditions,” the statement continued.
“We pride ourselves on operating state-of-the-art facilities and being good neighbors wherever we operate,” the statement read.
Despite the complaints, Collier County code enforcement said an inspection conducted in mid-November found no violations related to airborne debris.
"If Code Enforcement receives a complaint about this again, and our staff observe another litter violation, they would forward that case to a Hearing,” Collier County said in an email to Fox 4.
The county says it classifies the issue as a civil matter.
