By Adam Ghassemi
ASHLAND CITY, Tenn. – William Constible says he can't eat or sleep in
peace.
"You lay down to go to sleep, you've got a fly crawling in your mouth,
or in your ear, or in your nose," he said Thursday.
It's a problem he says he and his neighbors have been dealing with ever
since the composting facility opened up across the street.
"They won't leave you alone," he said batting away flies.
Edward Wansing helped open The Compost Company last year to
give grocery stores a place to get rid of biodegradable produce they mix with
wood chips to turn into mulch. That mulch can attract flies. Wansing says they
could have migrated from his facility despite the birds and spray they use to
control them.
"The birds were a major controlling factor, and as those left, we did
see the population spike up a little bit, and we had to start spraying
more," he said.
Wansing says Constible hasn't always handled the issue the right way. He
says Constible came over and threatened them before learning they are willing
to help control the flies with spray.
Constible says he's called countless people with no help and even erected
signs like "Fly Farm" warning people where the flies are coming from. He worries recent warmer-than-normal days are only giving him a preview of
how bad it could be.
"Thanksgiving we had millions of them here. Just everywhere," he
said. "I rush over to the house to eat, and before I get there my plate
was covered up, so I throw it away and eat a turkey sandwich. That was my
Thanksgiving and Christmas isn't looking much better."
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation - or TDEC - has
been out to the site in the past, and was out earlier this week without seeing
any active flies. Constible says that's because it was early in the morning
before they were active.
A TDEC spokeswoman says they went back out Thursday and will be working to
make sure some sort of compromise gets worked out.
Email: aghassemi@newschannel5.com
Facebook: facebook.com/NC5AdamGhassemi
Twitter: twitter.com/NC5_AGhassemi
William Constible says he can't eat or sleep in peace because of a fly infestation.
Edward Wansing helped open The Compost Company last year.
