Complaints Decrease At Compost Facility As Odor Does The Same

Armed with a deodorizer and a strict list of operating rules, Spokane’s compost plant is starting its third season.

Phil Williams, the city’s regional solid waste director, told the City Council this week the plant has received only three complaints since November.

“We had far more complaints last year than this year,” Williams said. “There’s some indication things are going better up there.”

The compost facility has undergone a series of operational changes aimed at decreasing odors, Williams said. The city installed a misting system along the plant’s eastern rim, which releases the organic solvent “Odor Gone” at the first sign of a foul smell.

O.M. Scott and Sons, the Ohio company that manages the plant, also has more stringent rules for handling the compost. Those include turning the material more often and keeping the piles smaller and more manageable, said site manager Mark Jones.

Jones also said the company’s recent downsizing left him more responsible for the compost facility. If there’s a problem, he can take action quicker than before, he said. “I should have had this new-found authority from the beginning.”

Since the plant opened more than two years ago, neighbors have complained repeatedly about its smell. Twice, public outcry caused the city to close the plant down only to reopen it a short time later.

The Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority cited the compost facility three times last year for odor violations.

SCAPCA Director Eric Skelton said this year the agency plans to focus its energies on weekly inspections as opposed to citizen complaints.

SCAPCA also will set up a hotline so that residents can learn the condition of the plant the last time the agency visited.

“We’re looking forward to a smoother operation in 1996,” Skelton said.

, DataTimes