SNOHOMISH, Wash. — Patti Olsen retired to rural Snohomish to live a quiet life, but instead of peaceful tranquility, she got the exact opposite.
"We can't even open our windows because of the noise," she says. "Just being in the garden, I don't hear birds. I hear a dump. Dumping, grinding, crushing, beeping all day."
DTG Recycling's sprawling setup off Yew Road operates six days a week. Neighbors say the noisy work sometimes starts as early as 7 a.m., with heavy equipment breaking down scrap metal, wood, and just about anything else recyclable.
"Our dream turned into a nightmare," says Olsen.
The site was previously a gravel pit and then a recycling center owned by another company.
Neighbors say things didn't start getting out of hand until DTG started operating it about a year ago.
Along with the noise, neighbors complain about smoke and fumes from fires and chemicals.
They even claim a heavy, 5-inch chunk of metal came flying through the sky and into one of their yards.
They say they've complained to the county more than 100 times, but the problems persist.
"I want that place shut down," says Olsen. "We certainly wouldn't have moved here if we thought something like this was going to happen."
KING 5 News obtained records showing DTG is in violation of at least five Snohomish County codes, including operating a recycling facility without permits, constructing five buildings on the property without permits, and allowing people to work in those buildings without county approval.
DTG has neighbors furious in Yakima County as well.
The company operates a landfill there and it has been under scrutiny for gasses, odors and smoke emitting from cracks in the ground.
The Department of Ecology asked the company for "periodic and or continuous monitoring" of the site.
Back in Snohomish, concerns continue about the future of this community.
"The thing is, you don't know how far they're going to take it," says neighbor Lisa Jansson, whose property abuts the facility. "Is this as bad as it's going to get, or is this nothing compared to what they're gonna have five years from now?"
DTG declined to comment for this story.
A hearing to appeal the code enforcement violations is scheduled for March 13 through 15.