"A big public toilet," was the analogy used by Burnaby resident Flora Kemp about her next-door neighbour's composting technique.
The smell associated with a public toilet, public hygiene and sanitation related to composting were the issues brought up during a delegation to council May 6, by Burnaby residents Flora and her husband, Brad Kemp.
"It's not really a good analogy, (but) there's a big public toilet right next to my back gate," Flora told council. "Right now, it's my issue. If more people are doing it in the future ... It will come back to the community."
The Kemp's neighbour has put the compost bin in their shared lane, right beside the Kemp's back gate, which leads into their yard.
Although Flora and Brad said they are in favour of composting, as it's a good, environmentally friendly exercise, they said there needs to be something in place to keep the smell in check - just as there are noise bylaws in place.
"I wish I can bring the smell in a box here to show you guys ... but I can't, unfortunately," Flora said. "It's something I can't really put in a box to show people. It's there and it's there every day."
Flora said the smell goes away in the winter, but as she is pregnant with her second child, she doesn't need the extra stress.
"We've put up with it enough," she said. "But the next step I'm going to take is going to the court."
Flora also said she only parks in the front of her house and is unable to use her back yard because of the smell permeating from her neighbour's compost.
Brad said he's been monitoring the neighbour's compost for a long time and it hasn't changed.
"So it may look as though this is a neighbour fight, but we think it's bigger than that," Brad told council after showing them two videos of his backyard and his neighbour's compost bin. "We think it's something with no relief, and expect prevalence of this type of thing in the future. People are green. People want to go environment-friendly. We are certainly for composting, but we think it has to be done so it doesn't create a nuisance for your neighbour."
Brad said he and his wife had already attempted to speak to the neighbour about it - but nothing happened.
"We approached our neighbour about it and they said they didn't have to do anything about it," he added.
In the Kemp's letter to council, they state the smell is extremely offensive and fills their cars with flying insects, which originate from the neighbour's compost bins. They also state that city staff was involved, but there was still no change in the situation.
"We regret to inform you that after (city staff) undertook to contact our neighbours to provide information on proper composting techniques ... there has been zero improvement of the situation, the smell is offensive and unbearable," their letter states.
City staff had already checked out the issue, but did not consider it a serious problem, according to Mayor Derek Corrigan.
Corrigan said it warrants a second look and it would help to investigate what other municipalities have done to see what the options are.
Council referred the delegation's comments to staff and the environment committee.
"There's very often not a lot of easy ways to fix what is, in essence, a good neighbour issue," Corrigan said. "Unfortunately, in this case, you tried that and it hasn't worked. So, we'll take a look at what practices (there) are and see if there's anything that we can do from our point of view."
When it comes to keeping a clean and fresh compost bin, it's about maintaining air circulation, according to Burnaby's environmental services officer Tracey Tobin.
For backyard composting, it's find a flat and partially sunny area as a good spot, Tobin said. Then layering the compost bin with green material, such as grass clippings and fresh coffee grounds, and then carbon material, such as wood, leaves and newsprint - dead products - is the best way to maintain a compost bin.
"Basically when you're doing composting alternate the layers," Tobin told the Burnaby NOW. "Put down fresh green materials ... and alternate them with brown layers. It creates a better way to compost."
Another key factor is to turn the compost pile every week to two weeks, and maintain a good balance of moisture.
"If you're finding the bin is wet, add more brown materials," Tobin said. "If it's really dry, add more green material or add a bit of water."
She said if the compost bin is emitting an odour, it generally means the compost needs to be turned.
The City of Burnaby sells between 100 to 125 compost bins a year, according to Tobin.
"Composting in the backyard is the best way to reduce waste," she said. "It is a good source of waste reduction in the city ... and we do see it as a huge compliment to our city's food scrap program."
Tobin said she could not comment on the Kemp's situation because it is an ongoing investigation.
For more information about composting, visit www.burnaby.ca.
