The Christchurch City Council has voted to put an end to composting activity in the east of the city as soon as it can, following an astonishing meeting where several residents broke down in tears over the smell from the local processing plant.
Residents have long complained about odours from the Bromley site, which processes the city’s green waste.
They claim it leaves an awful stench in their homes and backyards, affecting their health and leaving them unable to even open their windows at times.
Several spoke at an impassioned council meeting today, imploring the council to stop the stink. Bromley resident Vickie Walker told the assembled councillors that 2023 had been the “most unwell” year of her life.
“I feel trapped and a prisoner in my own home, held captive to a foul odour,” she said, her voice breaking with tears.
Jackie Simons, of the Waitai Coastal – Burwood – Linwood Community Board, said the council had a history of poor decisions.
“These people are not dollar figures on a piece of paper, they are people whose lives and wellbeing have been impacted,” she said.
“It's not okay for the majority to impose their will on a minority.”
The meeting even heard from a group of young students from Bromley School, who say they are unable to play outside in the smell.
“Sometimes we miss learning,” one young girl said, reading from a letter she wrote by hand.
“We want the smell to go away.”
Her teacher, Cathy Baker, gave a furious address claiming their classrooms were “riddled with flies”.
“Our health has been hugely affected at Bromley School, our number of absentees is huge,” she said.
“Kids with sore tummies, chest infections, coughs, asthma.”
The frustration even boiled over to some councillors with Mark Peters, of the Hornby Ward, offering an apology.
“I’m extremely frustrated that we are even here, I feel that the previous council failed,” he said.
Harewood councillor Aaron Keown said Christchurch had literally been “shitting” in Bromley’s backyard for years.
“I will say we should be shutting this today,” he said.
The council passed a resolution to confirm that its “preference” was to end the current composting activity at the Bromley plant as soon as practicable, noting that offensive and objectionable odour has occurred beyond the boundary of the site.
However, its staff say it’s not possible to close the plant straight away. Instead, the council will now engage with the community and mana whenua to decide whether to continue composting at the same site with operational improvements, to send some or all of the city’s organics to alternative sites, or to dump the waste at Kate Valley landfill.
A longer-term, preferment facility is under development but will not be available for several years.
That means, all those intentions aside, Bromley residents will have to keep on waiting for a specific plan for the waste.
“They're listening more to us, but I need to see the proof, I need to know what as soon as possible means,” Bromley resident Katinka Visser said afterwards.
A report on next steps is due back in August.
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