"It will take about 12 weeks for all of the compost from the old blend to completely cycle through the composting process and move off-site." The compost "recipe" was also adjusted to replace the odour profile of the previous blend that was causing the offensive smell. "Four additional, larger misters have been brought in and are now in use." “Living Earth has been using misters for a number of years as a tool to mitigate odour from the plant," the city council’s AMP progress report said. However, an increase in "offensive" reported odours was identified at organics processing plant Living Earth beyond the boundary of the site. Operational changes at refuse and recycling facility, EcoDrop, managed by EcoCentral, showed a 40 per cent decline in average "odour units" detected in July compared to June.Ĭhanges included clearing odorous waste in sealed containers quickly, ensuring all waste was cleared each night, and prioritising odorous waste. While the trials were under way, the plan outlined that the odour may be stronger or weaker on different days. She said the smell is not as bad this month as it has been in previous months, but "having said that, it’s still been pretty horrendous". "It won’t make it easy to sell the house. "Any smell blows directly across where we live and in other areas. Said Carol Anderson, who has lived on Bromley’s Seascape Gardens for 23 years: "It’s been pretty bad, the stench just kills me.
#Living earth compost trial#
The plan is two months into a three-month trial to test and carry out necessary changes to alleviate the issues, which will identify if the changes were successful. In May, before the plan went ahead, 225 reports of compost odours were submitted by the community, which decreased in June to 174. Photo: Newsline / CCCThree months have passed since the Christchurch City Council-run facilities Living Earth and EcoCentral were identified as the significant odour emitters in the city's east.īut since the city council implemented an adaptive management plan to reduce the odour in June, an Environment Canterbury report shows the smell has got worse. Last month they received 742 reports of it smelling, compared to 287 in October.Ĭhristchurch City Council will begin contract negotiations with Living Earth who run the plant - so the remediation works can begin as quickly as possible.Odour reports from Living Earth’s compost facility increased in July. The Canterbury Regional Council has an app for the community to report when the compost plant smells. "The bigger question is how did this plant get consent in the first place, and what were the conditions that were put on it that were so inadequate in dealing with the harm being caused to the community." Johanson said there were lessons to be taken from this case so the same mistakes were not repeated. "Without doubt this has been a significant issue for the community for at least 10 years and it's been increasing, the option to move the plant which personally I think we need to look at long-term we need to consider is just something that couldn't be done in a reasonable timeframe to reduce the offensive odour."
#Living earth compost upgrade#
Local councillor Yani Johanson has fought alongside the community for the past eight years to get something done about the stench.Ĭouncil staff recommended spending $17.5m to upgrade the compost plant with an extra $4m if the initial work didn't solve the problem but Johanson amended that all the work be done at once. Other nearby residents have previously told the council they sometimes don't sleep at home because the smell is so bad, others said the dust produced by the plant is toxic and makes it hard for them to breathe. "We're always going to have a nor-east wind so it was a really bad place to put it in the first instance, I think it needs to be moved because if this doesn't work its a lot of money down the gurgler." "The decision is a start, it's a lot of money so they better get it right, my understanding is that the council is going to make sure it's going to work and not have any odour before the work starts. Walker said the smell got worse about three years ago and believed that's when the plant started to accept commercial waste from restaurants. "It's not really bad all the time but it's enough to ruin your day when it does smell," she said. "If someone vomited next to you, I smell that constantly it's like silage and dead animals mixed together. Vickie Walker has lived for the past 23 years lives about 2km from the plant. The other option which was to move the plant to a rural area would have cost nearly $70m. Yesterday Christchurch City Council voted to spend $21.5 million to fully enclose the plant.
The Living Earth compost plant in Bromley produces a smell some have described as vomit, dead animals and rotting vegetables all mixed together. The smell has been a significant issue for the community for at least 10 years, a local councillor says.
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