Directly across the road from me is an old building that used to be a small meat processing company. The owner decided to retire and sell last year. An established rendering company bought it. They have another location west of here. They are very nice hard working people, BUT my problem is this. Every since they bought it, the nasty smell of rotting corpses comes and goes. It's usually the strongest at night, when I like to turn the air off and open the windows. It's just not possible. The stench down right nasty. I'm used to the normal county smells. I normally have steers, the neighbors spread manure on fields all around me, and there's even a chicken farm we catch wind of now and then. This is just rotten. People stop to visit and it's the first thing they bring up. Is there anything I can do about this or am I screwed?
- Thread starter Nick m
- Start date
ShadetreeRet
Well-known Member
I agree with greg k, the best way to begin to solve a problem is to approach the problem itself, (or it's owners). If there is no favorable response, then look into local ordinances governing such operations. (If any ordinances exist.) If none exist, and if you get no satisfaction from the owners of the business, you may have to begin a campaign to put some laws into place that will place controls on such, to prevent it happening elsewhere. Depending on where you live, each state and county, (even neighborhoods), may or may not have such laws. Good luck on solving your problem. As you said, this ain't your everyday country smell. BTW, them chicken houses you mentioned will clear your sinuses too, won't they?
Not a solution but another story.
Just southeast of Lubbock, Texas there is pretty large (for the area) feedlot that's pretty busy and full most of the time. Prevailing south to southwest winds keeps the smell out of the city most all of the time. There was a big stink about it (pun intended...) in the early 60's and things were not going well for either side when the wind did move around to the southeast straight into the city. It would make your eyes water.
So, one of the solutions was to buy Airwick bottles, you know, when they were glass and had the wick that could be raised. They put one of these bottles on every fence post around the place. Hundreds of them! It really didn't help all that much but the story in the news was greatly entertaining. Better lot management and the addition of a compost outfit just down the road made things better. We rarely have that smell these days.
Just southeast of Lubbock, Texas there is pretty large (for the area) feedlot that's pretty busy and full most of the time. Prevailing south to southwest winds keeps the smell out of the city most all of the time. There was a big stink about it (pun intended...) in the early 60's and things were not going well for either side when the wind did move around to the southeast straight into the city. It would make your eyes water.
So, one of the solutions was to buy Airwick bottles, you know, when they were glass and had the wick that could be raised. They put one of these bottles on every fence post around the place. Hundreds of them! It really didn't help all that much but the story in the news was greatly entertaining. Better lot management and the addition of a compost outfit just down the road made things better. We rarely have that smell these days.
Smells like that penetrate into everything porous in a house. You may not notice it, but your families clothes probably already carry that smell wherever you go. If the new owners won't or can't fix the smell, then moving may be your next best option.
If you have no other close neighbors, it might be the least expensive for everyone if the new owners simply buy you out rather than fix the problem.
Work with the new owners and your local governments to find a solution. Be prepared for a tremendous amount of double talk, foot dragging and stonewalling. Also consult a lawyer ahead of time to find out what your real options are. Key words are: hazard, nuisance and burden. Either you or the plant may be grandfathered in ahead of the other.
If you have no other close neighbors, it might be the least expensive for everyone if the new owners simply buy you out rather than fix the problem.
Work with the new owners and your local governments to find a solution. Be prepared for a tremendous amount of double talk, foot dragging and stonewalling. Also consult a lawyer ahead of time to find out what your real options are. Key words are: hazard, nuisance and burden. Either you or the plant may be grandfathered in ahead of the other.
A little river town not to far from me is having a similar problem.Around 5 years ago a processing company came in with a proposal.They wanted to build a processing plant for Asian carp.Gonna clean up the Illinois river and create local jobs.All the neighbors get onboard, EPA issues permits,local government throws a party and off they go.Now everbody's complaining about the smell.DUH.Dead fish and dead animals stink,I don't care what you do.
Your in for a long fight.Problems like this don't get settled over night and need to be smashed before they start.Did nobody approach you and other neighbors before they opened.I would think the EPA had a meeting with the owners and local government before they issued a permit.All states have different laws but somthin here don't sound right.Good luck.Hope it all works out.
Your in for a long fight.Problems like this don't get settled over night and need to be smashed before they start.Did nobody approach you and other neighbors before they opened.I would think the EPA had a meeting with the owners and local government before they issued a permit.All states have different laws but somthin here don't sound right.Good luck.Hope it all works out.
When I was still at home as a kid Dad bought meat scraps directly from the rendering plant. We have gone to pick up a load when they were at lunch. We have seen workers setting on a dead cow with their lunch buckets eating lunch.
The point is you can get used to it when you quit thinking about it.
We raised hogs and a lot of people thought that hog manure could gag a maggot off a gut wagon but I never thought it was that bad of a stink.
We were used to it.
The point is you can get used to it when you quit thinking about it.
We raised hogs and a lot of people thought that hog manure could gag a maggot off a gut wagon but I never thought it was that bad of a stink.
We were used to it.
If talking to them doesn't work,I'd go to the county health department or MDA I guess,reluctantly.
I don't know which one it is or who opened it back up,but the one over on Pinckney road had a little problem the one time I was there. Nice folks,don't get me wrong,I've known one of the guys who butchers there since he was just a little kid. He's a fellow collector,great guy,but when I pulled in there,cats were jumping out of dumpsters filled with guts. I don't know how they were getting away with it. That was the one and only time I ever went there.
I don't know which one it is or who opened it back up,but the one over on Pinckney road had a little problem the one time I was there. Nice folks,don't get me wrong,I've known one of the guys who butchers there since he was just a little kid. He's a fellow collector,great guy,but when I pulled in there,cats were jumping out of dumpsters filled with guts. I don't know how they were getting away with it. That was the one and only time I ever went there.
Worst smell I experience is a sweet corn processing plant bunker silage. It is along the state highway, there is a farmplace right across the road down wind, both have driveways 200 feet long or less right on the highway.
I don't know how that goes.
Just aweful smell. Aweful. And in familiar with dead animal smell, that is right up there.
Silage is often nice smelling, but this canning waste silage is terrible. I believe the state requires them to have a water pond and monitoring or some such, and it is the pond that is aweful, I donno but man that is put red stuff.
Anyhow no help to you, sounds like you have a reasonable approach to life in the country, that would bother me too. No good answers to that....
Paul
I don't know how that goes.
Just aweful smell. Aweful. And in familiar with dead animal smell, that is right up there.
Silage is often nice smelling, but this canning waste silage is terrible. I believe the state requires them to have a water pond and monitoring or some such, and it is the pond that is aweful, I donno but man that is put red stuff.
Anyhow no help to you, sounds like you have a reasonable approach to life in the country, that would bother me too. No good answers to that....
Paul
Geo-TH,In
Well-known Member
My vote is you are screwed. Should have bought the property. Good luck selling your house. Feel sorry for you. There are hundreds of rendering plants, so if something could have been done, it already been done.
Look up all the stuff that enters the food chain from rendering plants, will make you even sicker.
Look up all the stuff that enters the food chain from rendering plants, will make you even sicker.
smallercrawler
Member
I live in the country, accept, tolerate, and even enjoy some of the smells. Was mowing today (~85º F) and ran over a road killed, 40" blacksnake that was in tall grass, now that was a smell that will make about anyone upchuck!!!
buickanddeere
Well-known Member
Don't turn off the air. You are not saving anything. You just paid to have the AC unit remove moisture from the house and now you are letting moisture back in? The AC unit works harder to dry the air than it does to cool the air.
There is no sun at night so the AC unit won't run very much at night. Besides the power rate is usually cheaper at night.
There is no sun at night so the AC unit won't run very much at night. Besides the power rate is usually cheaper at night.
GeneMO
Well-known Member
- Location
- Pilot Grove, Mo.
How do you sell a house under those circumstances and not take a huge financial loss?
Gene
OK,I'll play devils advocate for just a minute just to play along. What if your neighbor dams up a creek and floods your house and yard? Is that OK? It's his land. Or is it your fault because you should have bought the place before he had the chance to do it?
Or should you call the County Drain Commissioner? I guess not. That'd be sicking the government on him.
Or should you call the County Drain Commissioner? I guess not. That'd be sicking the government on him.
Hay hay hay
Well-known Member
Plant is probably owned by a corporation and the local manager likely has about as much control over the operating processes as he has over the weather.
These plants have to be somewhere, but not everywhere. That is what zoning is all about.
These plants have to be somewhere, but not everywhere. That is what zoning is all about.
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