UPDATE: San Antonio shuts down Ascent Recycling following more violations

UPDATE: San Antonio has revoked the certificate of occupancy permit for Ascent Recycling, as reported by KSAT 12. The city says Ascent violated terms of a Sept. 28 compliance agreement based on two inspections from Oct. 8 and Oct. 17. Inspectors said that the company failed to trim overgrown vegetation, allowed large amounts of waste to pile up and used asphalt millings to pave areas without a permit. Ascent is no longer allowed to operate its business at the address in question until it obtains an approved certificate of occupancy.

Dive Brief:

San Antonio has given Ascent Recycling and Consulting 60 days to clean up its act before being forced to close, as reported by Fox San Antonio.
Ascent Recycling was previously shut down at another location for illegal metal recycling. The company moved into its current facility earlier this year where it is permitted to recycle cardboard, and has been given a number of citations related to property maintenance since then.
The main complaints include dust created from truck traffic on unpaved areas of Ascent Recycling's property. In addition to dust, local residents have also reported rodents entering their home which they say are coming from the property.

Dive Insight:

Ascent Recycling's relationship with government officials has grown more contentious this year and led to this ultimatum. The company has failed to appear in court multiple times, most recently in August, and has racked up thousands of dollars in fines. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and a state senator have also gotten involved. Despite these issues the company has said it is working to address the citations.

"We are certainly working toward 100% compliance," wrote plant operator Zachary Walter in an emailed statement to Fox San Antonio which also included specific steps being taken. "We continue to work with the city and citizens to co-exist and still continue to work toward our goal of employing area residents and keeping material out of the landfill."

In an effort to avoid this type of situation in the future, local officials have said they're considering an ordinance that would prevent businesses from moving to new locations after being shut down.