Richmond smell petition pushes for change
Posted October 26, 2016 11:39 pm.
Last Updated October 27, 2016 7:13 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
RICHMOND (NEWS 1130) — You may have smelled something similar driving by farmland at certain times of the year; a couple hundred people are not happy about the odour wafting over Richmond.
Arnold Shuchat, the creator of a change.org petition titled Stop the Stink in Richmond!, says the smell he likens to turkey manure, isn’t just there every once in a while.
“It’s every night, and it has that mushroom garbage smell, and it’s night after night, and you wonder what’s going on.”
The pungent smell comes from a large composting company, Harvest Power, which recycles food scraps and yard debris into usable material.
Shuchat says he is concerned the smell is affecting property values and quality of life.
“It’s only going to get worse as more and more garbage is burnt.”
He is hoping the petition will act as a gauge of public opinion and put pressure on the composting company to make changes.
There has been some concern from locals that the smell could be damaging to health but Vancouver Coastal Health says the odour has not been a serious health issue.
Harvest Fraser Richmond says it strives to operate its facility while being a good neighbour and it is taking steps to fix the problem.
