Can you really smell compost from 10 kms away?

The Herald reports:

Visitors arriving at New Zealand’s main tourism gateway could be greeted by the stench of rotting food waste once a new composting plant begins operating nearby, claim campaigners.

But the company behind the plans says the expansion of its facilities will actually reduce odour discharge.

Living Earth, a subsidiary of Chinese-owned Waste Management, was issued resource consents just before Christmas for the continuation of green waste processing and the construction of a food composting facility on Puketutu Island in the Manukau Harbour, about 5km away from Auckland Airport.

The consents were granted on a non-notified basis so the public did not have a say.

Living Earth has been turning garden waste into compost on the island since 2007, but residents who have campaigned against existing food composting facilities in other parts of the country claim the processing of kitchen waste is a far smellier process.

Geoffrey King has been a vocal opponent of a Living Earth composting facility in the Christchurch suburb of Bromley, which has processed food waste since 2009.

He said a foul odour from the plant could be detected for up to 10km.

I’m no expert but I find this highly unlikely.