Janesville officials working to stop landfill stench
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A compactor rolls over waste in the lower section of the Janesville landfill.
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John S. Whitcomb
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Janesville landfills
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JANESVILLE — Residents who have never smelled the Janesville landfill are smelling it now.
Operations Director John Whitcomb said the odor is the worst he’s smelled in his 21 years with the city, and the smell is enveloping more of the city than ever.
The city is taking it seriously and is working hard to resolve the problem before warm weather hits, Whitcomb said.
Several factors are contributing to the greater stench. They include record-breaking precipitation in recent years and the design of the landfill section now being filled, which opened in 2005.
Janesville’s landfill is in the city limits. Nearby residents have complained on and off through the years about the smell, and odor migration was a problem in the late 1990s.
The landfill section now being filled is closer to Kennedy Road behind Swing-N-Slide on Barberry Drive.
Whitcomb acknowledged that the city has been getting complaints, and he expects them to get worse when things warm up and residents want to go outside.
Residents have reported smelling the landfill as far away as Pontiac Drive, Highway 14 and the 2700 block of Milton Avenue. Whitcomb said he has smelled it at his house near the Rock County 4-H Fairgrounds.
Dennis Rhode, of 1718 N. Claremont Drive, lives more than eight blocks from the landfill.
“We’ve never noticed it before, but this year we have noticed it,” Rhode said. “We came home one night, and it really smelled bad. We wondered what it was, and we decided it was the landfill.”
Judy Jenson, 1032 Norwood Road, has lived at the corner of Foster Avenue and Norwood Road for 30 years. The smell has been disgusting, she said.
“There’s not another word for it.”
Jenson gets slammed when the wind is from the wrong direction.
“It makes you nauseated,” she said. “It makes me literally sick, the gases that are coming out of there. When my grandbabies are here, I don’t even take them outside.”
Jenson said she’s smelled it since the current section of the landfill opened, but it has worsened over time.
It’s even worse up on Kennedy Road, she said.
“I don’t know how those people stand it. It seeps right into your car. Early in the morning, it’s really bad. It depends which way the wind is blowing.
“My property is worth nothing with that stink,” she said.
Whitcomb said the odor problem started getting worse in late fall.
A consultant hired by the city recently issued a report, and the city has a plan and will move forward, Whitcomb said.
Why is this happening now?
The landfill is a large, open area, and the design was based on the location and the shape of the terrain. But it does not lend itself to managing odors, Whitcomb said.
“We’re kind of stuck with certain things in the decision,” he said.
New rules from the Department of Natural Resources also dictated the design.
The open area allows liquid from the record rain and snow to saturate the garbage and accelerate decomposition, creating more landfill gas.
The consultant suggested a temporary cap of soil and clay around the edges, where the gas is likely escaping. That would require a large amount of fill, so Whitcomb must wait until the ground warms.
“That cap should help contain those gases and also help our existing gas collection system to be more efficient,” he said.
Collection systems in landfills being filled are not as efficient because it is harder to create a vacuum to suck out the gas.
The city in December and January added five gas wells to the collection system. He believes those will work better after the perimeters are sealed, hopefully in April.
The city then will evaluate the effectiveness of the steps and then possibly take more, such as adding more gas wells.
The city had hoped to put a final cap on the portion of the landfill that staff believes is causing much of the problem, Whitcomb said. But the amount of waste the city is taking in dropped about 54,000 tons from 2008 to 2009.
Staff now hopes to cap that portion in 2011.
The cost for the temporary gap around the edges is not yet known. The gas wells cost about $135,000. The consultant cost less than $10,000, Whitcomb said. Those expenses are figured in the landfill tipping fees.
“We’re very focused on the issue,” Whitcomb said.
“We all have a sense of urgency to get this resolved and will work very diligently to get this resolved.”
Primer on garbage smell
John Whitcomb’s nose is finely attuned to the smells of garbage.
“As long as we have a landfill in Janesville, there are times when we’re going to have issues,” Janesville’s operations director said.
The landfill produces many smells.
“There are some very special types of waste that have their own unique odor,” he said.
Whitcomb said he recognizes all of them.
There’s the day-to-day smell of garbage that comes off the trucks. It has a distinct odor that doesn’t travel very far. Once that’s covered, it’s gone, he said.
Then, there’s the smell of older garbage. That surfaces when the city installs gas collection equipment or digs a trench into the older garbage. That trash has a “sharper” garbage-type smell, but it’s still not the landfill gas smell that people have been complaining about.
The landfill gas smell is pungent and sharp and very distinct, Whitcomb said.
People who smell landfill gas are not smelling methane, which is colorless and odorless.
“There are other constituents in the gas that are responsible for the odors,” Whitcomb said.
Mar 12, 2010 at 6:35 a.m.
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DiGriz, you mentioned that we [humans] keep breeding like rats, but it's worse than that. Rats are intuitive enough to reproduce proportionally to their environmental conditions.
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Humans as a whole, are too ignorant to manage their population as indicated by the TRIPLING of the world population in just the last 90 YEARS!
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I would be inclined to compare human population growth with bacteria, and just like bacterial growth, it will continue unchecked until the food is gone, and/or choked off by their own waste.
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Forget about driving cars, running a tractor, or living in the northern latitudes in the winter.
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When the petroleum is gone, civilization as we know it will also be gone.
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See Dr. Bartlett's "Arithmetic, Population, and Energy", University of Colorado, parts 1 thru 8.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-QA2rkpB...
Mar 11, 2010 at 3:01 p.m.
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The majority of Janesville residents are conscience about recycling and not putting in our landfill items, like paint, oil etc but I question the outsiders, what do they care. I say stop allowing dumping from outside of the city, Tell the DNR this is our city and we dont need them telling us we have to allow others to dump here, forget the money, health is more important.
Mar 11, 2010 at 2:41 p.m.
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We don't need no stinkeen lundfill
Mar 11, 2010 at 2:38 p.m.
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The smell on HWY 51 at Blackbridge Road was stronger than it has been in a while; I go this way to work every morning.
I agree with Rock Envir's posting that less trash means less stink, and we do allow a lot of trash from outside of Janesville to enter our dumpsite, and it's probably more than we should allow. Even though they raised the rate for incoming trash, it's not enough for outsiders to dump here, considering they still pay very little each time, as the tipping fee is low when compared to other municipalities. I would also like it if the City could recycle more than just #1 & #2 plastics, as the majority seem to be everything but #1 & #2; Madison does just about everything, I believe. I just hope they can fix this stink issue soon.
Mar 11, 2010 at 11:20 a.m.
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Better be careful talking about setting it on fire......"DHS" will be at your door saying you're a potential terrorist..LOLOL..
Mar 11, 2010 at 2:14 a.m.
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The smell of "NAPALM" in the morning! No offense Napalm! Smells like Old Milwaukee and Pall Mall after a three day binge! Not that I smoke, or drink "ole mill"!?
Mar 10, 2010 at 10:35 p.m.
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I liken the smell when I am over there to the smell of what comes from McDonalds. Almost similar in distinction with the landfill slightly more pungent. And yes, I do eat at MickeyD's.
Mar 10, 2010 at 9:31 p.m.
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I agree that the property is worth nothing, so is almost every one in Janesville! Just sold (thank god) our property in Janesville and took a $16,000.00 (low ball figure) hit to get rid of it! I don't know many people that have that laying around! Not I...! Thank god that we had positive equity into it, but still had to go to the table forking up over $4,000.00. Now our investment went sour, my bad like many others. You live by the dump expect a dump dump in return!
Mar 10, 2010 at 7:20 p.m.
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Welcome to Stinksville
Mar 10, 2010 at 4:41 p.m.
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And Madison has the same problem. In the absolute dead of winter, the stench coming from the landfill, just east of the I90/Beltine split... It just fills your car and is the most gut wrenching odor. As the weather warms I have to shut off my external intake for my car. Its just nasty. There is a golf course right across the highway (12/18)... You couldn't PAY me to play that course.
Disgusting.
Mar 10, 2010 at 1:44 p.m.
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Reducing waste would be easier if Janesville has a recylcling center that recycled more than just 1 and 2 plastics. A lot of plastics I use are number 5, and I am forced to throw them away. I wonder how much it would cost to expand the recycling center to accept more types of plastic.
Mar 10, 2010 at 1:16 p.m.
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Islandinthesky, The city always knew they would be across the street way before any home was ever built out there. When I was a kid looking out my grandparents window there was nothing but farm fields to the north. It is the fault of the developers that built in and around the landfill area. Cheap poperty value meant high profits. Now you can all suffer in the North and East. Should have built more shopping on the south side as us South siders have been asking for but nope, the city is so biased they want everything in the North and East. Well sucks to be you guys, suffer the consequences of not studying your area better before you bought since the landfill has been there for longer than any development was.
Mar 10, 2010 at 12:53 p.m.
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Bobb, just so you know most of the people that live on Kennedy Rd or near that area are retired. They chose their homes here in the late 70's. I guess next time they are going to have to plan their retirement homes better and maybe see a psychic.
Mar 10, 2010 at 12:08 p.m.
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DiGriz - Doh! Forgot that one. Me, too!
Mar 10, 2010 at 11:59 a.m.
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umm...its not the "spring scents"... its a YEAR ROUND smell. I travel that area daily. I was expecting, when it was 20 below zero, that I would not smell a thing. But it was just as rancid.
Mar 10, 2010 at 10:28 a.m.
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thanx. i had to use the quotation marks since it was a quote. ive used quotation marks in the past with relative success, but have never been recognized for it so thank you:)
Mar 10, 2010 at 10:20 a.m.
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Thekid- nice use of quotation marks. I didn't buy a house in Janesville to get rich off of. I just don't think anyone near the mall needs to get LESS than what the crappy market has to offer because of poor city planning. I WOULD like to be able to sell my house, at this point I don't think I could pay someone to live near the stench!
Mar 10, 2010 at 9:59 a.m.
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The smell makes me sick as well. To me..its like rotten meat..left in the sun. I notice it all the way on hwy 51 N..where I turn right onto Hwy 14..gets terrible by K&W Greenery...Im breathing thru my mouth only by that point. It doesnt go away on Milton Ave..so the news story is right..the stench is expanding. What image does that give of Janesville to tourists and people just passing through? Definatly NOT a good one!
Mar 10, 2010 at 9:35 a.m.
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DiGriz - Now I'm LMAOAPMP!!!!!!!!!!! Don't forget Apple Blossom.
Mar 10, 2010 at 9:25 a.m.
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bad news: “My property is worth nothing with that stink,” she said
good news: you live in janesville so its not worth anything anyways
Mar 10, 2010 at 9:19 a.m.
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You can get more recycle bins if you need them.
Mar 10, 2010 at 8:23 a.m.
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I live on Kennedy road. I purchased my house 2 years prior to them expanding the dump. If I had known the dump was expanding to across the street, I would have never purchased my house. When it comes time to sell, I doubt I'll get what I even paid for it. If I could move, I would. The city should have considered where they were expanding the dump prior to doing so. Having a dump next to where all the primary shopping is done, is unacceptable.
Everyone can say lets recycle. I recycle probably more than anyone else on my block. But who wants to recycle when Janesville provides small bins and comes every other week? Most cities have recycling every week and even offer bigger bins. Janesville needs to work on being a little more Eco-friendly.
The worst part of this article is stating how 5 gas wells were put in December. Those wells have NOT helped at all!!
Mar 10, 2010 at 8:06 a.m.
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JJL, methane gas by itself does not smell. Natural gas by itself does not smell. Mecaptane is added in very small quantities to natural gas to give it a smell. This is done for safety reasons, so that we can smell a gas leak and fix it.
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Most people have sensitive noses. We can smell mercaptane at several parts per million, in other words, very minute quantities. We are typically smelling (really sensing) organic molecules that scientist call esters that naturally occur in our environment. Some are good smells, such as flower scents, fruit smells, spices and so on. Others are products of decay. We are hard wired in our brains to avoid things that produce those smells because they are hazardous to our health. Your nose is telling you to avoid the dump.
Mar 10, 2010 at 7:10 a.m.
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MR WHITCOMB, IF IT'S NOT 'METHANE' GAS WERE SMELLING, THEN WHAT TYPE OF GAS IS IT? EVERY GAS HAS A NAMES, ALL OF THEM, SO, WHAT TYPE OF GAS ARE WE SMELLING, YA CAN'T JUST SAY...IT'S LAND FILL GAS! WHAT TYPE GAS IS "HARMLESS"
Mar 10, 2010 at 12:23 a.m.
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Ya should try living near a sewage plant or near a food processing factory like Hormel. Talk about ripe.
Mar 9, 2010 at 10:29 p.m.
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I miss being in janesville
Mar 9, 2010 at 9:54 p.m.
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RetiredGM is just as confused about his "natural gas" smell as he is about global warming. That's what smelling fumes up in the paint dept. at GM will do to you.
Mar 9, 2010 at 9:41 p.m.
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Agreed. This one does not pass the smell test. Put Theodore on it right away. He will get to the bottom of this pittiful story.
Mar 9, 2010 at 9:30 p.m.
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Quit the trash talking!
Mar 9, 2010 at 9:21 p.m.
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Digriz, you speak the truth. There is some dirt on this topic that needs to be uncovered and the Gazette needs to dig deeper. I smell a cover up, or perhaps lack thereof. Something is rotten in Denmark, and Janesville too.
Mar 9, 2010 at 8:49 p.m.
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John Whitcomb's real worry should be methane seeping into the basement of a building near the landfill and exploding.
Mar 9, 2010 at 8:08 p.m.
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Oops, one "stuck up your" is enough. Should not take phone calls while blogging.
Mar 9, 2010 at 8:02 p.m.
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Regardless of the cause, it should come as no suprise that if you put your landfill in your city limits, expect to smell it. It does not help that the landfill is located on the northwest side of the City. Anybody willing to venture a guess from which direction the prevailing winds blow over Janesville? If your head is stuck up your stuck up your Dryas Stadial, you are disqualified from venturing a guess.
Mar 9, 2010 at 7:47 p.m.
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God, DiGriz, don't hold back. Tell it like it is.
*Goes off to mix some liquor and painkillers*
Mar 9, 2010 at 6:59 p.m.
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I was reading this and we was like what the heck are you guys are talking about. I was thinking to myself "I don't smell anything" but I forgot I don't live in Janesville anymore. When I was living with my parents, (who only live a few blocks away off of milton ave), especially on windy days, it was terrible. We couldn't even stand being outside.
Mar 9, 2010 at 6:57 p.m.
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Who cares if man-made "glogal warming" is real or not because nobody really knows for sure. That doesn't mean it is not a good idea to try and reduce waste and pollution as long as it does not cause undue economic hardship. Even if it does cost a little up-front these kinds of things will keep us ahead of the rest of the world as they use up all their resources and pollute themselves to death.
Mar 9, 2010 at 6:56 p.m.
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Sportsman - a compost pile takes up as much space as a garbage can, so yes, everyone has room for one. Mine is 3' round and 3' high. Organic matter should not go to the landfill. http://www.worldwatch.org/node/1612
Mar 9, 2010 at 6:19 p.m.
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Napalm, by now and after every daily blog in the Gazette, you should realize most folks cannot just up and move. Think logically here! I have no solution for the odor but to keep your windows shut and air on in the summer. The odor has always been there. JMO
Mar 9, 2010 at 5:49 p.m.
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who cares about the hockey rink
Mar 9, 2010 at 5:48 p.m.
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A.) Rockenvironmental makes a legitimate point, albeit long term oriented opposed to addressing the short term problem of the the odor. We as a society create far too much trash and can always seek ways of decreasing our carbon footprint. I am no position to help address the odor problem nor will I pose to be an expert, but I do agree w/Rock's point whole-heartedly.
B.)Please don't embarrass yourself when asking others to not do the same. "Please do not embarrassing yourself as many have done with the claims of Global warming." I'm not the grammar police, but I love flaming contradictions. :)
C.)Thirdly, I suppose you're an expert on climatology considering you believe so strongly that global warming doesn't exist - Don't get me wrong, Fox News is a "great" source of unbiased views of everything from politics to socio-economics, etc, but please formulate your opinions carefully and use them in your arguments - at least I'm assuming you get your "information" from either Bill O'Reilly or Geraldo "I'm an embarrassment to all" Riviera.
Mar 9, 2010 at 5:48 p.m.
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4X4, that termite story is still online:
http://gazettextra.com/news/2007/nov/29/...
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RetiredGM, you're the one who should be embarrassed; there may have been some errors found in some reports, but that doesn't even begin to overturn the scientific consensus about climate change. RockEnvironmentalNetwork is correct that the best solution is to reduce our waste stream. The United States produces more waste per person than any other country on Earth. Many developed and industrialized nations get by with half as much waste as we do.
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/env_po...
Mar 9, 2010 at 5:47 p.m.
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And the hockey association wanted the new ice rink built near the landfill?!
Mar 9, 2010 at 5:37 p.m.
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Rock environmental i'll drop of my trash for u to recycle it for me if ur so concerned about it do something about it not all people have room for a compost pile u dont think ur trash stinks every buddys trash stinks
Mar 9, 2010 at 4:23 p.m.
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Less garbage = less smell. If everyone makes a point of creating less garbage (recycling, composting, reuse, etc) then there will be less garbage stinking up our community. This angle DOESN'T address all of the out-of-Rock County garbage that is trucked in.....other people's trash literally stinks. Contact your City Council and ask them to find a way to balance our budget next year WITHOUT selling our local landfill space for low tipping fees. It is our responsibility to take care of (and pay for) our own mess, not to leave it for future generations. citycouncil@ci.janesville.wi.us
Mar 9, 2010 at 4:18 p.m.
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Pretty soon people will be mistaking us for Gary, Indiana. Minus the crime......
Mar 9, 2010 at 4:14 p.m.
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What a great line on the job description for the Janeville operations director:
Connoisseur of landfill odors.
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