Smell complaints to Metro Vancouver up from last year
'It smells like vomit': complaints of bad smells up in Metro Vancouver
If you think Vancouver's been stinky this summer, you're not alone. Bad smell complaints to Metro Vancouver are up compared to last year.
Mai Aoki works in East Vancouver near an animal rendering and oil disposal facility which is also close to a fish processing plant and a chicken processing plant where she says, "it smells like vomit."
2 main sources for stinky smells
Those aren't the only facilities raising a stink.
"We have two major sources of odours in Metro Vancouver," explained Ray Robb, manager of environmental regulation and enforcement for Metro Vancouver.
"One is a composting digestion facility in Richmond. Another is a rendering plant in Vancouver."
Troy Zackowski also lives near the animal processing plant.
"It stinks in the summertime. It always stinks ... definitely amplifies with the heat."
Robb says there were around 700 complaints of bad smells in all of 2015. This summer there are already more than 600.
Investigators can track down source of stench
"Our belief is odours are diminishing over time, but people are becoming more aware of odour sources," said Robb.
"They might not complain for awhile, but a couple of years of the same smells year after year, they're connecting the dots and realize there's a source in their community that's causing the odours, and they complain."
Each call Metro Vancouver receives about a particular stench is investigated.
Robb says he has a team that usually manages to track down the source.