FAQ

Here are some of the frequently asked questions. You can always email stopthestinkYEG@gmail.com if you have a question.

1. This odour only effects new areas. Why didn’t you research the area and move somewhere else?
   
   Unfortunately the odour impacts communities that have been around since the 1980’s and not just newer communities. Cleanit Greenit has had odour issues and enforcement action dating back as far as 2004.
   
   
2. Cleanit Greenit has odour patrols who investigate the smells, why?
   
   Cleanit Greenit was required as part of their original enforcement order to operate a 24/7 odour hotline for odour events. Over the years, reporting odours has been confusing and time consuming with residents at times needing to call CIGI, City of Edmonton, and AEP to report an odour. These reports can take upwards of 40 minutes. The odour patrols that CIGI sends out to investigate are employed and trained by CIGI. Unfortunately residents have found that it can sometimes be hours before a patrol will make it to the area, in which the odour has dissipated or begun wafting to another area. There have also been times where the mandated odour hotline has been unreachable for hours at a time. When patrols do make it to the area, the odour results are posted on CIGI’s website here within a few days. Much to residents dismay, the repulsive odours are often attributed to other sources or are reported as “no smell” when patrols sometimes do their investigation up to 5 hours after an odour is reported.
   
3. Can’t Alberta Health Services step in or shut them down?
   
   Unfortunately odour is a very complex topic both from a regulation standpoint and a scientific standpoint. Research is still being done on the effects of bad odours on the human body. Because odour itself is currently deemed to be not harmful to physical health, AHS/Public Health is unable to step in with any enforcement actions at this time. Some residents believe they could be more involved, especially with the laboratory results of the compost product itself.
   
   Odours and Airborne contaminants are two separate entities which can both be present, or sometimes just one or the other. While odours are considers ‘non harmful’ to the human body, they can cause physical effects in the body.