Smelly compost facility promises changes after years of complaints

Residents fed up with foul compost smell A smelly problem that’s been plaguing Richmond for years could soon come to an end.

Nasal relief could soon be coming for fed-up Richmond residents who’ve spent years complaining about the pungent smells wafting from a composting facility.

Harvest Power composts and burns waste at a site on York Road, creating stenches that nearby neighbours call insufferable, and the company is currently trying to renew its permit with Metro Vancouver.

“You get it in your eyes, you smell it, you get it in your nose, you can taste it,” Richmond resident Jacqui Turner told CTV News.

“Your throat is a little bit sore. You feel a little bit hoarse,” said another neighbour, Norma Houle.

Before a new permit is granted, neighbours want assurances that more will be done to mitigate the stenches, and dozens of people turned out to voice their concerns at an open house Thursday.

“I believe it’s only going to get worse,” Houle said. “There must be technology out there, whether they’re using it or not, that can be added.”

Scott Kerr, regulatory compliance officer for Harvest Power, admitted the company can do better, and promised that residents’ issues are being addressed.

“We’ve pulled in a third-party expert to give us advice on the best way to control odours and emissions,” Kerr said.

Harvest Power said air quality should start improving in the coming days, and continue getting better in the weeks and months ahead.

Those living near the stench are hopeful, but still feel a solution should have been found long ago.

“These plants are not new. They’ve been in other cities for years. Surely people have figured out answers to these problems,” Houle said.

With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Penny Daflos