For one business owner who has spent months sounding the alarm, the difference is already noticeable.<\/p>\n
“The dust has been significantly better,” said Joseph Barbera, who owns a nearby automotive shop. “They are doing what they seem to be needing to do to control it. It sounds like they have a pretty active plan to continue controlling it in the future, which is very pleasing on my end and to many of our neighbors. We have definitely noticed a significant pollution decrease.”<\/p>\n
The changes come after more than nine months of reporting by WINK Investigates<\/a>, which first raised viewers’ concerns about neighboring businesses in November and later commissioned independent testing that found fiberglass, gypsum, and cellulose fibers<\/a> in dust collected near the facility.<\/p>\n Coastal acknowledges DEP findings\u00a0<\/p>\n In its response to DEP, Coastal does not dispute the observations made during the April 10 inspection<\/a>.<\/p>\n The company wrote: “During the inspection, it was noted that unconfined emissions of particulate matter were observed. We appreciate the opportunity to discuss the potential non-compliance and would like to provide a dust control plan that includes both preventative and mitigative measures that Coastal has implemented and the ongoing efforts to minimize dust emissions throughout the facility.”<\/p>\n DEP inspectors documented dust leaving the site during active operations<\/a> and noted particulate matter collecting on nearby vehicles and properties.<\/p>\n One issue identified during the inspection was a broken pipe supplying water to the facility’s misting system.<\/p>\n Coastal says the timing was unfortunate.<\/p>\n “On the April 10, 2026 inspection, we had a pipe repair while FDEP inspectors walked the facility, causing processing to halt until misters were repaired,” the company wrote.<\/p>\n According to Coastal, the repairs were completed before inspectors left.<\/p>\n The response also says the company now keeps replacement plumbing parts on-site for future repairs.<\/p>\n As a result of the inspection, DEP required the facility to:<\/p>\n Repair its dust control systems, including sprinklers<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Provide documentation showing when repairs are completed<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Develop a comprehensive dust control plan to prevent future violations<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n WINK Investigates reached out to Coastal Waste and Recycling for an updated interview about the changes outlined in the documents. The company has not responded.<\/p>\n Inside Coastal’s new dust control plan\u00a0<\/p>\n The documents submitted to DEP outline several improvements the company says have been made over the past several months.<\/p>\n More water around the property<\/strong><\/p>\n Coastal says it installed seven additional perimeter misting units along the western property line to create more water coverage where dust could leave the facility.<\/p>\n The company also says it plans to install a second well to provide more water for dust suppression once permitting is complete.<\/p>\n New dust suppression equipment<\/strong><\/p>\n According to the response, Coastal has:<\/p>\n Installed 18 additional dust suppression nozzles throughout its processing equipment.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Added one Fire Tech dust suppression cannon, with a second scheduled for installation later this year.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Added seven misting fans throughout processing areas.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The attached site plan submitted to DEP shows where many of those new systems have been installed around the property.<\/p>\n Watching the weather<\/strong><\/p>\n Coastal says it has implemented an Air Velocity-Operations Events Table, a software program that monitors wind speed and direction.<\/p>\n If conditions become favorable for dust to travel off-site, the company says operations can be slowed, stopped, or restarted based on those conditions.<\/p>\n That stood out to Barbera, who read the entire plan and Coastal’s response.<\/p>\n “I like the fact that they seem to have a good plan,” he said after reviewing the documents. “They also have devices that are going to tell them that it’s too windy and we should probably shut down a little bit or control the dust… that seems to be one of our biggest issues. When the wind is very high, the dust travels.”<\/p>\n Barbara continued to say, “I really like reading this. I like the fact that they seem to have a good plan if they want to continue to be our neighbor.”<\/p>\n More sweeping and more water<\/strong><\/p>\n The company also says it has:<\/p>\n Increased sweeping to eight to ten hours every day during operating hours.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Begun tracking daily water usage dedicated to dust suppression.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Reported using between 8,000 and 20,000 gallons of water each day, depending on weather conditions.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Neighbors say improvements are visible\u00a0<\/p>\n Barbera says he has noticed a dramatic difference over the past several weeks.<\/p>\n “Our vehicles aren’t being covered in dust where we’re embarrassed to drop them off. My shop is not being completely saturated with filth. My own breathing… I feel like it’s been better. My son’s breathing… we just don’t feel like we’re breathing this debris that we were on a continuous basis,” Barbera told WINK Investigates.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n After reading Coastal’s dust control plan, he says the improvements match what he’s been seeing firsthand.<\/p>\n “I personally have driven by and seen water nozzles that I’ve never seen before, so that tells me that they are definitely trying.”<\/p>\n He also reviewed WINK News drone footage showing wet ground and active misting equipment.<\/p>\n “They’re keeping the ground wet. The nozzles were running on the heavy stacks of debris. It just looks like a very conscious effort to do the right thing, and that’s all that really matters to me.”<\/p>\n While Barbera says the progress is encouraging, he believes continued oversight will be important.<\/p>\n “What I do see is them addressing the problem, and the problem was keeping their debris in their facility,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n He hopes the improvements continue.<\/p>\n “Keep up the good work, Coastal. I’m happy.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n