Stoney Creek residents demand action over persistent landfill odour

People living in Stoney Creek fear they will have to spend another summer indoors because of the odour coming from a nearby landfill.

It’s been an issue for years – and now the operator of the landfill says a pond collecting contaminated garbage runoff is the cause of the smell.

The GFL landfill on Green Mountain Road in Stoney Creek has nearby residents at their wits end.

“You don’t want to open your window, the smell is that bad,” said concerned resident Louise Thompson.

“It seems like it’s been continuously smelling like strong odours of ammonia.  We can’t enjoy the backyard in the summer with family and friends because the smell is consistent. And our concern was not only the smell, but what kind of health risks does it have,” said concerned resident Andrew Johnson.

Last weekend, GFL told concerned residents that the latest stench was not coming from the landfill, but from the park across the street where there is a leachate pond collecting garbage runoff.

GFL says the pond will have to be drained so that sediment and sludge can be removed.

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“It is in a park where children play soccer not even a hundred feet away. It is in a park where people like to go for a walk. The pond has always been there but it has gotten a lot worse,” said Thompson.

But the residents say despite the contaminated pond, the landfill itself still stinks.

GFL Environmental is facing 10 charges under the Environmental Protection Act and facing a charge for mismanaging the landfill.

On top of the offences, the landfill must pay $15,000 worth of fines for three incidents.

Those concerned about the odour say, at the very least, operations at the landfill should be paused until things are under control.

“Shut it down until they get a handle on it, and the odours. Why do we need to suffer,” said Thompson.

CHCH News reached out to Hamilton city councillor Brad Clark for an interview Tuesday but did not hear back. Clark has been fighting to get the residents near the landfill a tax break – and has been advocating for the site to be shut down.

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