Photo: Supplied / Porirua City Council
A landfill in the Wellington suburb of Tawa has been fined for a foul stench described by local residents as "sulphurous" or like "sewage", and which has been tormenting them for years. The Porirua City Council was fined after dozens of complaints were made in just a few hours on Saturday the 10th June, and another fine is possible for another smelly incident a few days later.
The odour from the Spicer Landfill has been the source of hundreds of complaints to the Greater Wellington Regional Council in recent years. It is majority owned and managed by Porirua City Council.
There were 148 complaints in the year to September 2021, 422 complaints in the year to September 2022 - and 894 complaints in just the last 8 months to June. Residents are frustrated that that the smell has been getting worse, despite efforts from the Porirua City Council - and are worried about plans to extend the life of the landfill to 2050.
Kathryn hears from frustrated Tawa resident Phil Doomen, as well as David Down, the Porirua City Council water and waste manager.
