Odours close city’s compost facility

Won’t reopen until cause of stench is found and control systems are in place to protect residents

Hamilton’s Central Composting Facility on Burlington Street has been closed because of worsening, unexplained odour problems.

The decision to shut the doors came after the urging of Ward 4 Coun. Sam Merulla, who says he has been swamped with complaints about horrible smells that were noticed by many — including Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger — at the Arkells concert at Tim Hortons Field on Saturday night.

“People need to be aware that this type of environmental issue is a serious quality-of-life issue that cannot be taken lightly. There should be serious punitive actions taken against those responsible to act as a deterrent,” Merulla said.

The facility will not accept compost from residential pickup, and the city will be shipping compost material already collected offsite, which will take up to five days to complete.

“During this time, the odour issues may continue. However, shipping the material offsite should address the problem,” a statement from the city says.

City public works head Dan McKinnon said the decision to close the facility was made because the operating contractor and city staff have been unable to determine the cause of the odours. “As a result, the city has decided shutting down the facility is in the best interest of affected residents in the area,” he said.

Waste management staff will continue to try to find the root cause of the issue and the facility will not reopen until the problem is solved, he said. The decision to close the facility comes after an earlier plan was put forward by the city to try using carbon filters and pine-scented mist to deal with the stench.

“The city will be communicating to residents how this will affect curbside collection, and will be providing updates as needed,” the statement said.

“The city sincerely appreciates the patience of residents who live in the surrounding neighbourhoods and have experienced the worst of this situation. The city will not bring the facility back on line until it is certain of the source of the odours and that the appropriate control systems are in place to avoid a repeat of the last few weeks.”