Neighbors in a Maricopa County community say the smell from a nearby composting farm is hurting their health.
The man behind the farm says he’s passed every recent inspection that’s come to his door and helps deliver more good to the community than harm.
Maria Rosario Gallegos reached out to ABC15 describing the smell as “ongoing” and “toxic.”
When we met with her near Dobbins Road and 27th Avenue, piles of mulch were described as “sour, unbearable,” and a smell that stretched over a mile around the area.
The farm, operated by Arizona Green Guys, is a composting space that takes waste that ranges from green, animal, paper, and wood then makes soil to feed plants.
Neal Brooks, who has been working in the industry for half a century, is the mind behind it all and says he got a grant to operate the farm.
He also shared multiple letters of recommendation from area partners that use his compost to help grow food for area restaurants.
“Anything that’s agricultural that involves animals is going to smell and it’s going to be really bad when it gets really hot,” he said outside the farm on a triple-digit day.
However, Gallegos and her neighbors say this isn’t just farm stink.
She shared that the smell has exacerbated her asthma, attracted rodents near the homes, hurt property value, kept them from going outside and one neighbor needed surgery.
“We had a family member who needed surgery for sinus infections that keep coming back,” said Jesus Arellano.
ABC15 took some of these complaints to Brooks, who was well aware.
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Brooks said over the past three months, he’s been visited by multiple county agencies looking into his business. He shared various documents of passing each inspection including one from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
He told us he’s been engaging with residents who have mentioned the smell on a Laveen Facebook page by sharing how he’s trying to mitigate the smell.
“We brought in more paper, more carbon to offset the nitrogen. We’re very aware we have impact” he said. “We also have a positive impact which is huge,” he said sharing how his business diverts trash trucks and reduces waste in landfills.
Maricopa County Code Compliance confirmed a notice and order to comply was delivered to the farm in June, stating it’s a ‘commercial business operation in a rural zoning district requiring a special permit.’
Brooks said he has applied for an agriculture exemption. For now, the code compliance hearing is set for early November.
ABC15 reached out to the Maricopa County Air Quality Department and they said they’ll be at the farm on Wednesday to assess the extent of the Hydrogen Sulfide in the area.
Ultimately, Brooks says he was looking to relocate anyway. He plans to wind down his compost farm over the next 30 days and move his operation to Coolidge in six months.
Gallegos hopes someone can help her find some fresh air – at her home.
”It’s a health issue, it’s not just the smell,” she said.
